Organizing Around Mission (1 Peter 5)

This is our last Sunday together with the Apostle Peter at least for a while. We finish his book in chapter 5 1st Peter chapter 5 which is where we'll be today, and I called today sermon organizing Around Mission organizing Around Mission because The basic message of First Peter, is that were elect exiles? But we're here for a while. We have an imperishable inheritance. God has chosen not to take us home. We're here and we're here because we're on a mission. And we need to live honorable lies and so forth that ass we're executing this mission on Earth. How are we supposed to organize ourselves? Like in what way do we interact in? The answer is from Peter this morning while you're here. Well, you're waiting. organize yourself into local churches Any churches should have at least two important roles elders and members and today. We're going to find chapter 5 to be very practical. It's one of the few times in the scriptures where we see an answer to the question what Elders do You might as well. What about Titus? What about 1st? Timothy? No, no, no answer the question. Who are Elders they talk about their character? They don't talk about their job description. You look look go home and watch look at Timothy. Look at first. I just look at First Timothy and look at the qualifications except for the word teaching. They don't have a single verb in them. They're all character qualities. Today. We're going to find out what the role of an elder is, but also what the role of a church member is when you associate yourself in a meaningful way to the local church you assume responsibilities. What are those responsibilities? And one of the things I would encourage you to do is invest in your church be connected to us and took that and I want to remind you that we're having a major town hall. We used to have them weekly in kovacic because everything was changing and then we made them much less frequent. We have a major town hall. Because we have more big news for you, but we want an opportunity to update you where we are on finances and you'll hear what we've done technically inside the building. You will also hear an update from Caleb Donald on how our search for a new worship Pastor is going to be a time for questions and answers and it'll be a hybrid meeting are we can accommodate about 20 people here in the church and then others conjoined by Zoom. All of the details are in a note that you've received from Bev to see this week. I would encourage you to be part of your church. So here we are in chapter 5 so and so was a summary word. ipolis Peter is saying we're elect Exiles we have in imperishable inheritance. God is leading us here for a while on a mission. The mission is to live honorable lives. So you don't know what that looks like. Let me give you a couple of tips. If you're a citizen. Let me give you a couple of tips. If you're a servant. Let me give you a couple of tips. If your wife. Let me give you a couple of tips of your house. Let me summarize all this in chapter 4 and this is The Honorable life I'm talking about and now I'm ready to close my letter and I say so so after all of this, what do I mean? Well after all of this, I exhort the elders exhort means to call alongside Peter was an elder we're going to find out that Elders feed the sheet. And Peter was the one who had breakfast with Jesus Remember after the resurrection. Do you love me? Yes, I do then feed my sheep. Peter is an elder and he say I exhort you. I encourage you Elders to come along in the same direction that I am. I'm a fellow Elder. And by the way, this word Alder is one of only two new testament offices prescribed in the for the church. Can we have a Treasurer? We absolutely can but the Bible doesn't mandate that can we have a Pianist in an organist like you door was in the early days? Yes, we can but the Bible doesn't mandate that the only two offices that mandates is Elder and Deacon and today we're talking about the Elder. I'm going to find out very shortly that this job of Elder assumes two major responsibilities shepherding and oversight and as an elder assumed responsibility for shepherding and oversight. There are important things the scriptures have to say both about his motivations and his method

So the Elder job description basically only has two components to it will see these flow out of the text itself to Shepherd into oversight but as your shepherding and as you're over siding giving oversight your method and motivation is key. And so three phrases were given. I don't want you to work under compulsion, but willingly don't do it cuz you have to do it cuz you want to don't do it cuz it's your duty do it because you love these people and not for shameful gain but eagerly don't try to get rich will say more of what that phrase when we get through it and not domineering your power as an elder is not through domination it is for setting an example

and that's exactly what Peter says here he says Shepherd the flock of God this word Shepherd means to care for a means to protect those are the two main elements protect And care and I don't know if you've ever thought of this but God it wasn't exactly paying us a compliment when he called us sheep sheep need to be shepherded. Out of all the livestock a farmer can raise sheep require the most care.

A farmer once commented in a book He Said She require meticulous care that exceeds all other livestock and there's some reasons for that sheet for different sheet for one of the only animals that can't find their way home. If they get lost even a little bit they're done for you know, every once in awhile. It happened this week. I don't know if you saw it. But every once in a while, you'll see in the news about a lost dog who's been gone for months or maybe even the year eventually finds his way home. She will never do that. That's why Jesus offers the parable of the lost sheep because to his hearers. I would have been a common thing. Yeah 10 feet and they're lost sheep need shepherding cuz they can't find a way home. Jeepney shepherding. Is she for one of the few animals that cannot find or even care for their own food? They have no mechanism to find food and when they get to the food, they don't know to move on if you leave sheep just being sheep. They will eat a field dry and ruin it. And not safe to move on and if there are poisonous plants in the field that we eat them too and die. sheep need sharpening Sheep need a shepherd and cuz they need to be sheared. First of all grows on their back. They have no way of removing that it just gets thicker and thicker and thicker and because of some glands on their skin the one who gets very oily and so it picks up dirt and it gets water and it gets heavier and heavier. If you don't cut the wool off occasionally they die. Cheap have no mechanism to take care of themselves were sheep. And so Paul and Peter says Shepherd the flock of God, by the way noticed even though you're an elder. It's not your flock is the flock of God. And what you need to do is two things one is Shepard and two is exercise oversight. To give some leadership to point the bow in the right direction.

And you need to do this not under compulsion but willingly do it cuz you want and not for shameful gain. This is an important phrase here at not forgetting. Don't try to get rich. In the pastorate and by the way, that sounds crazy now no one goes into the ministry for money. But in certain times in history that has been a legitimate motivation you can make out that's a very good wage. That's a very secure income but not only gain but shameful gain don't go into it to emotionally manipulate the people under your care so that they give you money.

and not domineering Other scriptures talk about this the power of a pastor is not in his domineering it is in his example. And this is a pattern for Christian Life. Jesus himself said but Matthew, but Jesus called to them and said, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them. And they're great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you but whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be your slave. Even as the son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many those who are called to be an elder you need to use this as the model. We we are to give an example not to domineer.

You know, I always have two or three Bible project every year one of the mine this year is Ezekiel. I am now through on my sixth and final passed through the Book of Ezekiel. I read it January February March April May June July August September October and now I'm on my sixth and final past November December in one of the things God prophesize against nations against Israel itself, but boy, oh boy. Is he ever mad at the leaders of Israel who were to guide them spiritually who he calls Shepherds and he takes him to the Woodshed listen to what he says to the Shepherds of Israel who should be caring for the people of Israel. He says the week you have not strengthen the sick. You have not heal the injured. You have not bound up the Stray you have not brought back the lost. You have not sought and with force and harsh you were ruled over them. So they were scattered because there was no Shepherd and they became food for all the wild beasts my sheep were scattered. Later on in the same passage. God says something startling. He says I'm going to deliver my people from you. The people that should be Shepherds that should be caring for the people. I need to deliver my people from you. Because you're terrible Shepherds. The calling of an elder is not something that ought to be taken lightly, which is why James says not many of you should become teachers my brothers. For you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. The office of Elder should Shepherd and should give oversight. And when the chief Shepherd appears, oh, wait a minute. So, you know one of the great the one of the weird things about being an elder is you are both a shepherd and you're a sheep. You're just a sheep. You need to be sharper. Weather is this person called the chief Shepherd and he's going to appear that word means main Manifest. This is talking about the second coming of Christ. And when he appears faithful Pastor when he appears faithful Elder, you will receive an unfading Crown of Glory.

Remember this for my earlier sermons beloved. There is something calming for us called the bema seat where Jesus will evaluate not whether we're going to heaven or hell he settled out on the cross he paid for our sins, but at the bema seat, he will evaluate our the quality of our service to him. 2nd Corinthians 5:10 describes this formula for we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, by the way, he's writing for Christian. This is not the great white Throne, which is your last stop before the Lake of Fire. This is another thing called the bema seat and Christians up here at the bema seat for we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ that each one they receive what is do not what has been given that salvation. What is do your rewards for faithful service? So that each one they receive what is due for what he has done in the body whether good or evil in friends with the bema seat will not be pleasant for everybody. 1st Corinthians 9:24. Do you not know that in a race that all runners run but only one who receives the prize so run that you may obtain it well Elders when they run Faithfully when they lead well when the chief Shepherd appears They will receive something called The Crown of Glory. This is ambiguous. But let me tell you what I think this means I think that there are specific crowns that people will earn for specific kinds of service and one of the things that faithful pastors faithful Elders can learn is the Crown of Glory. This is not the only Crown mentioned in Scripture. There's something called The Crown of Life James says in chapter 1 verse 12 blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial for when he has stood the test fears a person on persecution. Here's a person going through testing. But if he stands firm, he will receive the Crown of Life which God has promised to those who love him. There's a crown for faithful elders, but there's a crown for people who go through spectacular testing and stay firm. and in the competition standing there's a soul winners crown for people who present the gospel and God uses their Ministry to bring them to Christ notice how Paul talks about the churches that he ministered to. But since we were torn away from you is talking to the Thessalonians. We were torn away from you brother's for a short time in person. Not in heart. We weren't torn away in heart just in body. We have never heard some more eagerly that we endeavoured the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face because we wanted to come to you I Paul again and again, but Satan hindered us for what is Our Hope or Joy or crown of boasting before the Lord Jesus at his coming it. Is it not you? For you are our crown or are our glory and joy.

This is the only place to Paul talks this way. He talks to the Philippians not just us Thessalonians, but the Philippians there for my brother's whom I love and long for my joy and Crown stand firm Dustin the Lord my beloved. At the end of his life a faithful Elder a faithful Pastor can expect the crown a crown from The Lord of the bema seat. First five likewise not this word likewise for the careful readers that I've seen this before several times before and each time in the letter. It means the same thing likewise means I'm changing audiences now. You listening citizens be subject to the government likewise chapter 3 verse 1 wives. So now I'm not talking about I'm changing I'm talking to wives be beautiful for your husband's. 47 likewise, you husband's okay, so I'm not talking about the wise anymore. I'm talking to husband's well chapter 5 verses 1 to 4 or talking to elders. Likewise changing audience not talking to the elders anymore. Now. I'm talking to the church members.

What do I have to say to church members be subject to your elders? This word subject is a military term. It means to line up with. And let me just tell you life is hard life is hard when the people you're trying to lead try to find reasons not to follow. It just makes everything so complicated. You remember just a couple of sermon series ago. We were talking we were preaching through 3rd, John and we came across a man named diotrephes. He was not subject to his leaders call. Looks like Paul says I written something. Or join, I have written something to the church, but diotrephes who likes to put himself first. This is not subject. This is not subject does not acknowledge our Authority.

And then it says humble yourselves and says clothe yourself with humility. If I were to pick two things in the job description so far. I would say that a church member should submit. The leadership God is given to that church and humble themselves. And that humble themselves is is Amplified even more in the rest of the passage humble yourselves, by the way this phrase humble yourselves.

This is our job. So that God May exalt. This is God's job This Is Us. This is God. We need to focus on humbling ourselves. God will pick the right way in the right time to exalt us. And by the way, this phrase humble ourselves really means let yourself be humbled. Have you ever been in a season of life that is humbling? It is knocking you down a few pegs. And you resisted you resist. I will not be humbled. There's no joke in the stereotype. Is that men when they're driving don't want to ask for directions. There's an old joke about a man driving with his wife and he realizes you're going the wrong way and it keeps on going cuz he spends the next hundred miles figuring out how to go in the other direction without turning around.

Sometimes God brings things in our life to Humble us. Our job is church members is to let that happen. Let the things that God has brought in brought into our lives humble us.

God loves a humble Spirit, you know, if you read through the kings in the Old Testament, one of the most wicked was Ahab and Ahab was not a good man. But at one point in his life, he was humbled. He allowed like to Humble them and God loved it. Here's the account. God has just received a terrible word of judgment because of your sinfulness destruction is coming to you eminently. He reacts in humility. And when I have heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and faster than laying sackcloth. And what about dejectedly? And what did God say to late doesn't matter. No, God says have you seen how he have his humble themselves before me? Because he is humbled himself before me I will not bring the disaster in his days. But in his son's days, I will bring the disaster upon his house. God loves a humble spirit. 47 casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you just a couple of points here. This word casting is the word used when you cast a burden on an animal know you're you got this terrible not sock and just like a hundred pounds and you know, but you got this donkey here you cast the burden on the donkey much easier to walk because the burden is now the donkeys problem. Not yours. Jesus is our donkey. We can cast all our anxieties on the m and why is she has a duty to take them cuz he's our donkey and we own them know. Turtles love we do this because he cares for us.

You know one of the observations I've made in many years in the Christian Life and doing a lot of counseling this may surprise you by the way. When people have anxieties and I bring them to this passage my observation is that they find it easy to cast your anxieties on him? It's not that hard. Just give it over to Jesus.

casting or anxieties on Jesus is not the hard part

hard part is leaving them there very often we present our anxieties to Jesus and we give him I can probably give you 15 minutes to work this out Lord and if he hasn't done what we wanted to do in 15 minutes we take it back you know there's a beautiful picture of a woman in anxiety in the Bible who gave it to God not that hard to do but she left it there She wrote her Memo. She put it on his desk and she left it on his desk for him to do with what he wants.

the woman is Hannah Darren desperately wants a child. ghost of the temple the Tabernacle where he lie there and she's praying she was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly and she's molding the words of our prayer when she's weeping Eli mistakes this for drunkenness and she rebukes her

do not regard your servant as a worthless woman. She says for all along. I have been speaking out about my great anxiety and vexation. She explains. I'm not drunk. I'm praying to the Lord it for you. My heart vanilla answer go in peace in the god of Israel Grant your petition petition that you have made to him. And she said let him let your servant find favor in your eyes. Then the woman went her way. And was no longer sad. She made the petition. She revealed her heart to the Lord. And she left it with him. That's the hard part. It's not presenting yourself to the Lord is leaving yourself on the altar.

By the way, just one last point that we often quote this verse alone. Hey, did you know that you're supposed to cast your anxieties on him? Because he cares for you that's misquoting the verse. When I say hey don't you know, you're supposed to cast your anxieties on him because he cares for you that's misquoting the verse and it leads you to the wrong conclusion. Can you see what I did?

I said cast you need to cast all your anxiety. That's what the Bible says. It says casting. This is a sentence fragment. This is not a complete thought on its own casting all your anxieties when you look at the grammar. This is a modifying phrase. And what does it modify? This phrase humble yourself. How would I do that by casting your anxieties? That's an important Insight when we refused to cast on anxieties on the Lord. We are exhibiting Pride. We are resisting humility. We are saying we know better than you God. We told you what to do. No snap to it. Refusing to cast our anxieties on the Lord and leave them. There is a form of Pride the way to Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God cast your anxieties. This is a modifying phrase that modifies this subject as an important ingredient in a brings us to the third job member description. Trust the church member trusts in the Lord and is constantly bringing the issues of life to his savior. Be sober-minded and watchful. Here's the next job description. And there's the one after that your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

Be sober-minded sober-minded. Your may may remember from other sermons sober-minded is the opposite of sensuality sensuality is sinful abandon. Sober minded is his power under control. I'm here for a purpose and I'm living on Mission.

Here's an example of not sober minded Jesus paints for us. But if that servant system self Master is delayed incoming and begins to beat the male and female servants and eat and drink and get drunk. Then the master that servants will come on a day where he does not expect him and on an hour. He does not know and he will cut him in pieces and put him with the Unfaithful. This is the opposite of sober-minded church members live on Mission work. We're not wasting time when I say and who knows whether he's coming back. I don't know. It's a long time whatever. Let's just do what we want. That's not sober minded that sensuality that is sinful abandon. It's a church member job description filzen further self-controlled sober-minded and Vigilant being watchful. I wish I had more time to talk about the US government and how they are constantly Vigilant about nuclear attack. You can't run a nuclear test anywhere in the world and the US government not find out about it. If you launched a missile, the government will know about it in seconds. Why we're not at war in North Korea is unlikely to do it and China's unlike it doesn't matter. It could happen. I am Vigilant Vigilant that I'm watching around for that for that lion. We know lions from zoos in from nature shows in we see them as Majestic. That's not how our first century audience would have thought of a lion they would see them as cruel and cunning and this lion prowls around and he wants to devour that word devour literally means to gulp up the Satan isn't trying to wound us. He's trying to eliminate us destroy us we need to be vigilant of church members. And not only digilent. But to resist him. To resist him one of the ways that we resist the day of double is to present him a small Target. I commend to you a Fusion Sport 27 and give no opportunity to the devil if there are habits in your life. If there are relationships in your life that are opening you up to undo Temptation close those down provide a smaller Target in zana's doing so resist him. Church member resist his fortitude he gets in a fight and he stays there even when the going gets tough.

Just a little bit more and then I'll let you go beloved. Not only fortitude but I but hope

a church member associated with the local church under the authority of the elders knows that they're suffering but for a little while. This is an important big picture view of life. I'm suffering, but it's just for a little while. This is all going to end you know that right. We're all going to get new Resurrection bodies. We're all going to be separated from the presents the power in the penalty of sin. It's just for a little while.

And that means that we can live as church members in Hope. in Hope and then the last verse will take a look at today to him be the Dominion forever and ever. You know what, this is. this is a I worship statement.

I don't know if you remember from our big book study and the Five Pillars that are churches founding itself upon when is othentic worship and in the big book study booklet, if you still have it for the definition of worship, it says respond worship is our christ-centered response to all of who God is this isn't worship response to him be the Dominion forever and ever God has left us here for a reason. the love the brothers The living honorable life and to Suffer Well, and to do that we need to organize into local churches that have Elders who Shepherd and give oversight with these motives and methods and church members who submit humble themselves trust live self-controlled lives on Mission or Vigilant and have fortitude get in a fight and stay in the fight live in a sense of hope and worship. Friends as we end our series together, let's commit to do this. Let's commit to do this. Hope. Heaven is a hope. They sure hope but in some ways it'll Mark a permanent transition to another state and we will never travel this road. Again. We will never have this opportunity to execute this portion of God's mission to bring him glory in this way. It will never come again. I know I'm overtime. Just let me end just with 30 seconds of heartfelt pleading. I'm not saying that sending I did everything right in our parenting but we did a lot of things right and I am so glad we did cuz those days are gone.

And I ain't never coming back.

We used to homeschool are for kids. Sandy worked in the home as a homeschooler. I worked at IBM, you know when we took vacation. When we wanted to I was high enough and IBM, I didn't ask. I just told I Member One Wednesday. Sandy said he just found a great special in Virginia. You want to go I said sure when we go Sunday so we went. You know what that looks like now. We have twelve separate agendas that need coordinating. We're all over the place travel plans. What I'm saying is those days were here. They are never ever ever coming back. I'm glad we didn't waste them. Well this these days on this mission. Hell of the brothers to live honorable lies and to Suffer Well, they're here now, but they will leave. And when they leave they will never come back. We want to be this person. We want to be this church for his glory. And a good of everyone who knows us. Heavenly Father we thank you for your time for this time in your word. Holy Spirit be pleased to embed this in our hearts and enable our faithfulness to it in Christ name. Amen.