| Freedom From the Greatest Evil of All
Peter's closing words in this vital letter of exhortation seek to drive home the goal to strike a death blow to the single greatest force for evil within our fallen nature and pride. It is the insidious and multi-faceted force of prideful self idolatry that took the most beautiful of angels and transformed him into the devil (Is. 14:13, 1 Tim. 3:6). It is this same pride that moved our first parents to turn their backs on God, who had blessed them beyond measure. The insane force of self idolatry drove them to forsake God and the Garden of Eden for the chance to become gods themselves. Therefore, Peter calls the shepherds who care for God's sheep to be especially on guard. They are not to use their position as a platform to rule over others or to satisfy their own egos, but are to become genuine servants. Nor should they serve unwillingly or for "dishonest gain" once they realize the ministry is really not about them. It's about love for God and love for people—nothing less and nothing more (v. 1-4). Peter equally warns those who are being served to not misinterpret the humility of those serving them. They are not to dishonor them nor take lightly their teaching (v. 5-6). Everyone must be on special guard because Satan is like a lion quietly stalking them as prey, seeking to destroy with the cancerous power of pride (v. 8-9). For the humble, they can look forward to the great grace that God will abundantly pour out upon them. This is the grace that saved us, and it is the same grace that will keep us. This is the grace that becomes our strength in the midst of our greatest weakness. This is the grace that our lives for all eternity will glorify. God, in grace, has taken wretched, self-willed, self-idolatrous sinners and transformed us into the object of His limitless eternal love. We, above all of creation, have been uniquely called to be His bride, the object of His amazing love. It really is amazing grace! | |||
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1 Peter 5:1-14 Shepherd the Flock 1 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. Submit to God, Resist the Devil5 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, 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. Farewell and Peace12 By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. 13 She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen. | |||
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| 1 Peter 5:1-14 v. 1 The Elders – presbuteros (Gk.) advanced in life, rank or age. As a rule, Peter would be referring to those having spiritual responsibility or authority to oversee and shepherd the local believers.\ Exhort – parakaleo (Gk.) To urge someone to action in an encouraging way. Peter is not commanding or demanding, but lovingly urging. Fellow Elder – Rather than call himself by a more superior name such as Apostle, senior elder or Pope, Peter simply refers to himself as a fellow elder. A fellow is an equal, or a partner in the work. Peter is presenting himself as one who shares in the leadership responsibilities in the body of Christ. Witness of the Sufferings of Christ – Peter was present and personally involved in the three years of Christ's ministry on earth. Not only did he personally hear Christ's teachings and witnessed His miracles, but Peter also saw Christ sweat great drops of blood. Peter was one who followed Christ through His trial and crucifixion. He saw Him interrogated and beaten. He saw Him scourged and crucified. Peter witnessed firsthand the sufferings of Christ for our sake. His testimony comes by way of personal eyewitness of the truth of the Gospel, namely that Christ suffered for our sins. Partaker of the Glory that will be Revealed – Peter experienced the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. On that day He also became a partaker of the glory that was to come. For on the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit of God was given as a guarantee of the glory that was yet to be revealed (Eph. 1:14). The Gospel story does not end with Christ's suffering or resurrection. There is glory yet to be revealed. The Gospel will be fully accomplished in glory when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead, make all things new and usher in God's eternal kingdom. v. 2 Shepherd – poimaino (Gk.) to tend, care for and feed The Flock of God – God's people are often referred to in scripture as sheep or lambs (John 21:15). When Christ's sheep congregate they become a flock. Peter is giving the elders of the church the charge and responsibility to tend, care for and feed the gathering of God's people who under their care. The term flock of God is also descriptive of the church of God because God's sheep were never intended to be independent creatures but rather to be an interdependent flock (Heb. 10:24-25). Overseers – episkopeo (Gk.) One who carefully watches over and cares for something or someone. The job description of any leader, elder or overseer in the Christian church is to watch over the sheep diligently examining the flock of God inspecting the scene for dangers or harm of any kind. Not by Compulsion but Willingly – Peter here deals with the proper motive and attitude of an elder in the church. He says an elder should watch over the flock of God not because he has to like some sort of forced labor, but because he loves to. It makes all the difference in the world when a church leader serves because he loves God and loves God's people. Motive is everything. Furthermore, people know when they are not truly being loved. Every elder in the church has the responsibility to represent God to the people in both conduct and attitude. Dishonest Gain – aischrokerdos (Gk.) Eagerness for profit. Peter focuses in on another improper motive of the minister. A minister whose motive is purely the paycheck is working from a dishonest heart. Eagerly – prothumos (Gk.) Willingly, with enthusiasm. v. 3 Lords – katakurieuo (Gk.) To exercise dominion over; to bring under one's power, to subdue, master. To lord over someone would be to bring that person under your power and command as a master would a slave. Peter points out that usurping authority is not the way of Christ and Christian leadership. Entrusted – kleros (Gk.) a lot, allotted to your charge, inheritance Being Examples – tupos (Gk.) A model, pattern or imprint; an impression, stamp made by a die. If there is one distinct way Christ taught others, it is by example. To us today, this means that the pattern of the teacher's life should set the pattern for the student's life. See Mark 10:42-45, John 13:13-15. v. 4 When the Chief Shepherd Appears – Just as Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He is also the Shepherd of Shepherds. Right now we do not physically see Him. But when He returns in glory we shall see Him with our own eyes and we shall receive the reward described in the next phrase. Crown of Glory – A crown is a sign of honor and blessing. There are many crowns promised to the Christian in scripture, the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8), life (Rev. 2:10), glory (1 Pet. 5:4), rejoicing (1 Thess. 2:19), etc. This crown of glory is likely figurative (Rev. 4:10). does not fade away – The glory and honor and blessings that we receive from God are permanent and eternal in contrast to earthly rewards. v. 5 Likewise…Submit Yourselves to Your Elders – Peter has been stressing the importance of the proper attitude of humility among the elders and leadership in the church. Now he turns to the youth and says, likewise. As the elders set the example of humility so should the younger people then be submitted to the elders. If the elders have reason to be humble, much more do the youthful have reason to live in humility. Resists the Proud – Pride arrogantly assumes its own worthiness; therefore pride is contrary to God's grace (Ps 138:6; Prov. 3:34; 6:16,17; 29:23; Is. 2:11, 12, 17; James 4:6). Proud – huperephanos (Gk.) showing one's self above others, despising others or even treating them with contempt v. 6 Humble Yourselves – This can mean to have a modest opinion of one's self or to assign a lower rank or place. that He may Exalt You – A proud person seeks to exalt himself. But the principles of the Kingdom of God are such that if you humble yourself under God's hand, God will be the one who exalts you in His way and at His time. Exalt – to lift up on high; to raise to dignity, honor, and happiness. v. 7 Casting – to throw upon, place upon All Your Care Upon Him – This is how to humble yourself under God's mighty hand, by trusting Him with your life and cares. He Cares for You – We are given good reason to cast our cares upon the Lord. Not only is He mighty, which makes Him able to care for us. But He is also caring in character. Which makes Him eager to care for us. v. 8 Sober – Alert, self-controlled and serious. The opposite of drunken. Vigilant – To be cautious and watchful for any oncoming dangers, to be on guard. Your Adversary the Devil – Scriptures teach us that the devil is not just a figure of speech or a concept but a real being. Peter calls him our adversary. That means the devil is our enemy. Jesus told us that the Devil has come to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), which is just the opposite of what Jesus wants to do in our lives. Elsewhere in scripture the Devil is also called Lucifer (Is 14:12), Satan (1 Chron. 21:1; Job 1:6; Zech 3:2; Matt 4:10; Mark 8:33; Luke 10:18; Acts 26:18), and the father of lies (John 8:44). Devil – diabolos (Gk.) Slanderer, false accuser. The Bible speaks of a real devil who can either attack you or flee from you. This is not metaphorical or symbolic language. Behind spiritual warfare is a host of actual evil personalities. The Devil is Satan, the fallen angel (Is 14:12-15; Luke 10:18) who enticed a third of the angels of heaven to turn from God. These are the demons. See Rev 12:4. All these are at work to influence your own fleshly desires against you and turn you from submitting to God. Also see John 12:31; 16:11; Heb 2:14; 1 John 3:8; Rev 9:1; 12:7-9; 20:2. Like a Roaring Lion, Seeking Whom he May Devour – This phrase demonstrates the ferociousness with which our adversary works. He is not merely hiding in a dark place, hoping we might come to him and wander into his trap. He is a hunter. He is active. Devour – to drink down, swallow up, drown v. 9 Resist – Peter doesn't tell us to run from him or hide from him. We are not powerless in this fight against the devil. We are not to fear this roaring loin because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Steadfast – strong, firm, immovable, solid, hard, rigid Same Sufferings – Peter knew that it would encourage and give us strength to know that we are not alone in our sufferings. If the devil can get you to believe that you are the only one going through a particular trial you can easily become mentally and spiritually overwhelmed. Peter reminds us that we are never alone in any suffering or temptation. But not only that, God will be with us in every suffering. See 1 Cor. 10:13. v. 10 God of All Grace – For more insights into this attribute of God see Ex. 34:6; Ps. 86:5,15; Rom. 15:5,13; 2 Cor. 1:3-4, 13:11; Heb. 13:20. Who called us – This is how every Christian came to God. God called them (2 Tim 1:9; 2 Peter 1:3). It was God who called us to His eternal glory. And He called us through the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Knowing that it is God who called us gives us strength and hope that He also will see us through to the end. Eternal Glory – The eternal pleasures and richness of God's presence in Heaven (2 Cor 4:17; 2 Tim 2:10; Heb 9:15; 1 John 2:25). Suffered – This broad term for suffering covers a wide range of various kinds of suffering. The point Peter is trying to make in this context is that all suffering for the Christian is temporary and redemptive. v. 11 Glory – splendor, brightness, magnificence excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace, majesty, and praise Dominion – kratos (Gk.) power, strength, mighty with great power; authority Amen – At the end. So it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled. v. 12 Silvanus – Silvanus (also known as Silas) was a Roman citizen who was a companion with Paul on many of his journeys (Acts 16). Some have supposed that when Paul was imprisoned in Rome he sent Silas on to accompany Peter in his work for the Lord. The phrase by Silvanus implies either that Silvanus wrote this letter as Peter dictated it, or that Peter sent this letter along its way in the trusted hands of Silvanus. I Consider Him – Peter has considered the life and actions of Silas and concluded that he is faithful. You can only come to this conclusion by observing and examining a person's reputation and character over time. Exhorting – parakaleo (Gk.) To encourage and strengthen. Testifying – epimartureo (Gk.) To bear witness of the truth. v. 13 She Who is in Babylon – Refers to a sister church in Babylon. It is likely that Peter is actually writing from the city of Babylon. Peter is simply sending greetings to his readers from another elect group or person. Elect – means chosen by God for eternal life Mark, My Son – This Mark is most likely the same Mark who wrote the Gospel of Mark and eventually became Peter's traveling companion. Peter's ministry relationship with Mark was that of a father and a son. v. 14 Greet One Another With a Kiss of Love – This is the way a loving family would naturally greet or bid farewell. Even today in the Middle East it is still a custom of love and respect to greet a a person you respect with a kiss of love. Peace to You – Peter is wishing peace to all who are in Christ. Peace is the state of tranquility of mind and absence of fear. This godly rest is always a valuable possession in a world of war and unrest. Who are in Christ Jesus – A specific phrase limiting this blessing to those who through faith have placed their trust in Christ for salvation and by the Holy Spirit have been grafted into the body of Christ (Rom. 10:9-10, Eph. 1:13). The phrase, in Christ is found 87 times in the NKJV bible and is descriptive of all those who have put their trust in Christ and embraced Him as Savior and Lord. | |||
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| 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." –1 Peter 5:5 We see in Your scripture, Lord, the command to all to be submissive to one another and clothed in humility. We pray today, God, for hearts that are humbled before You and before our fellow man, that we can serve without pride and that Your all-powerful, all-encompassing love shines through us. Give us the chance, Jesus, to serve others for You. | |||
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5:5 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."
Pre-Marital Discipleship
