Please open your Bibles this evening to the first epistle of Peter, 1 Peter, in the back of the New Testament, 1 Peter chapter 5. As we turn our attention this evening to this letter, we remember it as a letter written to the churches dispersed throughout Asia Minor to churches dispersed in the world. And it comes to us as a church dispersed in the world. Like the Israelites wandering through the wilderness, the church wanders through this present evil age awaiting the promised land when Christ returns, the new heavens and the new earth where our rest indeed will be complete. But when Peter penned this letter in the very early days of the church he assured the saints that the end of all things is near. And as we heard New Year's Eve the redemptive work of Christ has been accomplished. Having been accomplished the judgment of God was at hand. It's free to come at any time of his choosing. And although the final judgment is not yet when Christ will forever separate his people from his enemies the judgment of God is already active in the body of Christ. Peter says in chapter 4, verse 17, it is time for the judgment to begin with the family of God. What does this mean? Well, it means that until Christ returns, He gathers His family and He builds His church here and now. And He does so with what Jesus called the keys of the kingdom. With these keys, the preaching of the gospel by ministers of the word and Christian discipline by elders, the judgment of God is at work in the family of God. The kingdom of heaven is opened to believers and shut against unbelievers. You see, the church of Jesus Christ is under construction. It is where the action is, ultimate actions with eternal consequences. And the world is just too busy to notice and wants you to be too busy as well. Your own flesh, conceived and born in sin, says that you don't need it. And the devil, well, he knows he's going down and he's going to do his best to take you down with him. Together, these three conspire to have us neglect the church and what Christ is doing in his church. To neglect the judgment of God that is active in his church. in chapter 5 of this letter Peter speaks to local churches he speaks to them as visible organized congregations in order to strengthen them to strengthen us against this conspiracy and we will read his full address but give our attention to only 7 verses verses 1-7 of chapter 5 his address runs through verse 11 and I had hopes but 7 is enough because he puts his finger on an aspect of church life there that the neglect or the abuse of which has been the demise of many a congregation has been the demise of many a denomination and local churches. In these verses, chapter 5, verses 1 through 7, Peter exhorts us for persevering together in the sheepfold of Christ. some as elders, all as sheep. Now we'll begin reading in chapter 4, verse 12 to give us some context so we can see the transition in chapter 5, verse 1, where Peter really does focus in on the relationships within the church organized, moving from individual Christians to the church as an organization. Here now is the word of God, 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 12. Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or a thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God, and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? So then those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful creator and continue to do good. To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who will also share in the glory to be revealed. Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care. serving as overseers, not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be. Not greedy for money, but eager to serve. Not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. Young men, in the same way, be submissive to those who are older. All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion because you're looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen. Here ends the reading of God's Word. Well, Peter begins his address to the church organized in chapter 5, verse 1, by speaking to the elders among you. Now, we must remember that the church was just beginning to be established. Not all local churches had a minister of the Word, like Timothy or Titus. They were rather dependent on the letters of the apostles and itinerant preachers coming around. And the deacons were just beginning to be established in each local church as there was need. But according to the book of Acts, the apostles appointed elders in each church. And where there were elders, the judgment of God had begun. Now with Peter, we will pay particular attention to the office of elder this evening. That's what the text is about. But that does not mean that there's no application for the deacons. Or for the ministers, for that matter. peter begins in verse 1 by calling them to his side as a fellow elder who shares their burden to care for the people of god now notice that peter does not talk down to them in any way as if he were the pope to them he's a fellow elder no he comes to them by way of appeal calling them to his side, as it were. Come alongside me. Now, Peter, we know, has not always been so humble. On the night in which he betrayed Christ three times, on the very night, he bragged, I will never leave you. Well, he was humbled by that night. And the Lord Jesus showed him grace and restored him. And he ordained him to tend his flock and to feed his sheep. And so we hear, here we find Peter, a humbled servant, doing just that. And he's appealing to fellow elders to join him in that task. And he calls him to his side, not only as a fellow elder, but as a fellow Christian. A witness of Christ's sufferings. Now, as an apostle, Peter certainly had seen much more than the people in the churches to which he wrote. He witnessed Christ's ministry from his baptism through his death, his resurrection, and his ascension. He had seen the sufferings of Christ and he had seen them against the backdrop of his glory. But even so, that's true. That's not the basis for his appeal here in this letter. He comes to these elders as a fellow Christian who knew in his own experience what it was to suffer. the sufferings of Christ. The very sufferings he was warning them against and preparing them for. He says, I know what it is to suffer for the name. I know what it is to be flogged for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. And he knew the kind of death that was waiting for him as a witness for Christ. But more than that, he appeals to them one who will also share in the glory to be revealed. Yes, he had seen Jesus transfigured on the mount. He had gotten a glimpse of glory and he knew that's all it was, was a glimpse. And he knew that he too had been given a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And he looked forward to that day when Christ will return. And he looked forward to the glory to be revealed that day and he was living his life suffering now. for the glory to follow. And he came to them as a Christian. And having drawn these elders to his side, Peter continues in verses 2 and 3 to charge them in the service that they are called to in the congregation of Jesus Christ. And he sums it up in one picturesque command. He says, shepherd the flock of God that is under your care. Shepherd the flock of God that is under your care. With this single image, a Kodak moment, he captured the wide-ranging and ever-present need of the congregation for the shepherding that Christ was providing. You see, to shepherd is to tend to, to care for, to provide for, to protect, to nurture sheep. Creatures who by themselves and left to their own nature are unable and unwilling to do so for themselves, let alone do it for one another. This is not my picture. This is the picture that God gives us. And if we find the picture unflattering, that doesn't make it any less true. By nature, as children of Adam, we have no desire, we have no ability to shepherd ourselves or one another. We're sheep. In fact, back in chapter 2, verse 25, Peter reminded the saints of our condition, apart from Christ and apart from his church, he says, you are like sheep going astray. You're on the meadows going everywhere. We think of Isaiah talking about each one going his own way. But he continues, he says, But now, but now you have been returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. You've been returned to Christ. And so we have this picture of sheep who to themselves are scattered hither and yon. Who have been gathered now into the church of Jesus Christ. And we put these two together with this text. And we should understand that when the chief shepherd, Jesus Christ, Gathers his saints into his sheepfold, he does so into the church where he has appointed and entrusted men to serve as under shepherds. These under shepherds, the elders, are to exercise oversight for your benefit and mine on his behalf and according to what he has determined in his word. We need the shepherding of Christ. And Christ our shepherd has given us shepherds in the flesh for here and now until he comes. So elders, you have been ordained to serve this congregation. But this congregation is not your master. Your master is the chief shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. Your service to this flock is service to him. And it is he who will recognize and crown your service, as Peter says in verse 4, he says, And when the chief shepherd returns or appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. It's his recognition that matters. And his alone, as you serve this flock. And having established what the elders are ordained to do, Peter now presses upon them the manner in which they are to do it. And this is the manner of service to which the elders are called has direct bearing on the manner of service of anyone called to office in the church. This is where deacons, this is for you too. And ministers, it's for us too. We all have been called to an office to serve Christ in the flesh in this place. And the manner of service cuts across all of them. First, our service is to be done willingly. Because we want to. Serving with deliberate intention and purpose according to the will of God. Or as the ESV states it, as God would have you. Willingly. willing service is service cheerfully rendered from the heart without hesitation or regret and this willing service is nothing like serving under compulsion which is what we're warned against doing only what we must and that out of a sense of duty somebody has to do it Those who serve under compulsion are like the hired hand Jesus described in John chapter 10. When the wolf is coming, he leaves his post and abandons the sheep and runs away. Willingly. Secondly, we are to be eager to serve. Meaning eager to serve others according to their needs. Such eagerness can only be motivated out of love that seeks the good and serves the interest of others. And it's mild with what's in it for them. And this loving service is nothing like serving greedily. To serve greedily is to serve in order to get something from someone for me. Now whether that thing be money as it is rendered here in the scripture, or whether that be recognition, or praise, or acceptance, or influence, or anything else. If it's in it for me, it's greedily. If it's in it for them, it's eagerly. And finally, we are to serve by example, being examples to the flock. Well, how do we know what example to set? Does the example of our workplace fit? Does the example of our school days fit? Does the example of our household fit? Perhaps. But they're not the final standard. Final standard's the Word of God. And that Word of God has been lived for us by the Son of God. So Peter shows us the way in chapter 2, verse 1. He says, Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps. The trail's been marked, gentlemen. It follows Jesus Christ. In fact, Christ himself set the pattern in Matthew chapter 20 when he taught his disciples, whoever wants to become great among you must become a servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. That's the example that we have received. That's the example we're called to follow. That's the example we're called to set. Serving by example, and in particular elders leading by example, as elders are called to do, is nothing like lording it over those entrusted to you. To lord it over is to abuse delegated authority using it as if it's your very own. It's to forget or to reject the truth of Romans chapter 13, verse 1, that there is no authority except that which God has established. Your authority that goes along with your responsibilities is not your own. It's delegated to you. Do not lord it over. Let's set an example of selfless, sacrificial, exemplary leadership. So whether we have been ordained to serve Christ in his church as elders, overseeing the congregation of Christ, or as deacons, comforting with the mercy of Christ, or as ministers, proclaiming the gospel of Christ, the manner of our service is to be willing and selfless following the example of Christ. 1 John 3, verse 16 sums it up this way. Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. Well, having addressed the what and the how of shepherding the flock, Peter turns his attention from the elders to all the sheep and addresses the what and the how of living as members of this flock that's overseen by the under-shepherds of Christ. And he starts out in verse 5 by addressing the new ones. The new ones. Now, if he's addressing new ones in age, it's proper to translate this as you young men. It's equally proper, however, to translate this as those who are younger, addressing both young men and young women. Furthermore, he may be addressing all the new ones in the faith, regardless of their age or their gender. So he should have all your attention. Whichever group Peter is addressing, I think it's safe to say that he's not speaking to them exclusively. Rather, he's speaking to them as those who most need to hear what everyone needs to hear. And what is that? Submit to the elders. Just the sound of it makes us bristle, doesn't it? Now it's beyond doubt that as a group younger people, especially young men, are more prone to resist or rebel against authority. Young men, did you ever wonder why your car insurance is so high? But even so, younger people are not alone in resisting or rebelling against authority. We live in the land of the free, in the home of the brave. Don't tread on me. I got rights. And Satan chimes in, did God really say, submit to your elders? And we're born in sin, and we're born ready to resist any authority but our own. Is it any wonder that God gave us the fifth commandment? Honor your father and your mother. Which Peter applies here. In the same way that we understand it and apply it in Heidelberg Catechism, question and answer 104, when we confess that God's will for us in this commandment to honor our father and our mother is that I honor, love, and be loyal to my father and mother and all those in authority over me. That I obey and submit to them as is proper when they correct and punish me and also that I be patient with their failings. For through them, God chooses to rule us. It's also a direct application of Romans chapter 13. Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except that which God has established. The what is pretty clear. The need is obvious. And this application is inescapable. Submit to your elders. Well, now that the what is settled, how are we to submit to the elders? That's the question. And Peter answers that too, beautifully. Briefly. He says, in the same way. In the same way. Just as the elders are to shepherd you willingly, eagerly, And by setting an example, we are to submit to them willingly, eagerly, and by following their example. First, our submission is to be given willingly. Because we want to. Out of reverence for Christ. And submitting deliberate intention and purpose according to the word of God. Knowing this is God's will, it's His purpose, we willingly and purposely submit to it. Willing submission is nothing like submitting under compulsion, doing what I have to, doing what I must, because it's my duty to want to. And secondly, we are to submit eagerly, doing all that we can out of love for them. to support their service to our Lord. The author of Hebrews says it this way in chapter 13, verse 17. He says, Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden. Eagerly. And finally, we are to submit by following their example, even as they follow the example of Christ. Again from Hebrews chapter 13, verse 7. Remember your leaders. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Of course, when we follow a Christ-like example, we also set a Christ-like example. And we claim submission to this Word, to this Word of God, when we publicly profess our faith in Jesus Christ or when we are otherwise joined in this congregation, a sheepfold of Christ, we confess our belief that the Bible is true. And that includes 1 Peter chapter 5. And we confess our sinfulness that we find it difficult and our total reliance on Jesus Christ to save us. And we declare our love for the Lord and our desire to serve Him according to His word. And we promise our submission to the government of the church even when they must love us through discipline. submit to the elders well Peter has presented the will of God for each and every one who belongs to the church of Jesus Christ his will for how we can persevere together in the sheepfold of Christ against our enemies the world our own flesh and the devil and his will in this regard is as clear as it is simple To some, ordained as elders, God's will for you is to shepherd the flock willingly, eager to serve, and by setting a Christ-like example. And to all of us, even the new ones who may find it particularly difficult, God's will for you is to submit to the elders, willingly, eager to serve, and by following their Christ-like example. Now, by the grace of God, through faith in Christ, we hear this clear and simple will of God, and we know that it's true. And we know that it's good. But at the same time, even right now, we can sense the inner war the Holy Spirit is waging against the notions of this world, the seductions of the devil, and our own sinful, selfish inclinations. This does not settle naturally with us. So whether we are ordained to office with God-given authority to carry out God-ordained responsibilities, or we are to serve them, or to be served by them with the God-ordained responsibility to submit, we all, I trust, sense our need for grace and for strength and perhaps even motivation to embrace and obey God's will. not under compulsion, but willingly, not greedily, but eagerly to serve others, setting and following Christ-like examples. I know I need grace. And we are right to know our neediness. We are right to know our neediness. And God, through His Word, provides for what we need. According to verses 5 through 7, All of us have the same need. Whatever side of this relationship we're on, at any particular time, we all have the same need. And there we read, all of you, that includes you guys, all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. Humble yourselves. Better yet, I think, be humbled under God's mighty hand. What we lack is humility. Humility toward one another and humility toward God. In a word, we are prideful. And we are called to put it off and to put on humility. Well, how can we accomplish that? How can we accomplish that? Well, I can tell you that the answer is not found by exerting ourselves to be more humble. That only feeds our pride. No, the answer is found outside of ourselves. It's found in God, our Creator and our Redeemer. And as we come to know Him through His Word and in His Son, we are humbled. In our relationship to Him. He is God Almighty. Able to do whatever He wants. We are not. And He is God, our Father. Who cares for us, His children, for the sake of Christ, His Son. And as we come face to face with His holiness and His might. we are humbled under His mighty hand. And as we come face to face with His goodness to us in Jesus Christ, we are humbled by His care for us. And it is this humility that fosters trust in Him for all things. So that we can trust Him that He will lift us up in due time and that He will carry all of our anxieties and because, as Peter said, God gives grace to the humble, He will give us grace to fulfill our callings and the humility that we need to put on toward one another. That which we need can only be given to us by our God and he gives it to us as we come to him and we know him and we worship him and we are humbled under his mighty hand and we are humbled by his gracious care. If Christ will continue to build his church in this place, it will be under the oversight of elders and with the humble submission of his sheep. This is his design it's His will, and it's the way it is designed to be until Christ comes again. Therefore, let us look to Him for His grace and His gift of humility so that we might persevere together in this sheepfold of Christ, pursuing service to Christ in our service to one another, some as shepherds, all of us as sheep. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the revelation of your will. We thank you for your word in which it is found and we thank you for tonight in particular this very clear expression of your will for us in the church. Lord, we must confess, is a difficult word. It strikes at our sin. At the same time, Lord, it's an encouraging word for the answer to our need is you as it always is and always will be. And so, Lord, we pray this evening that by your Spirit you would work in us to draw us close to you. Through your word and in your Son. That we might marvel and be humbled by your majesty and your holiness. That we might be thankful and humbled by your good care for us in Christ. And that we would find at work in us a humility that is strange to our being. A humility that we are able to put on as we put off pride. that we live toward one another as Peter lived toward the fellow elders, as those who know the sufferings of Christ and who have set our hope on the glory that is to follow. We ask these things, Lord, for Jesus' sake. Amen.