LIFT JESUS HIGHER (1 PETER 5)
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Here is my top 7 pick from the “100 Best Last Lines from Novels”?
1. …you must go on, I can’t go on, I’ll go on. –Samuel Beckett, The Unnamable
2. . ‘It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.’ –Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859)
3. It was a fine cry—loud and long—but it had no bottom and it had no top, just circles and circles of sorrow. –Toni Morrison, Sula
4. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. –George Orwell, Animal Farm
5. Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody. –J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
6. “All that is very well,” answered Candide, “but let us cultivate our garden.”
–Voltaire, Candide
7. “Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is
another day.” –Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind (1936)
http://americanbookreview.org/PDF/100_Best_Last_Lines_from_Novels.pdf
Peter the apostle is renowned and revered as the leader of the twelve apostles – captain of the apostles, captain courageous, the captain hook or captain sparrow of the seas! In Matthew 16 (Matthew 16:18) Jesus said to him, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Most believers then were excited and expecting to hear Peter’s last word in his last chapter on the last days, now that Nero’s time .
What is the church’s role in a hostile and even hateful environment in the last days? How are we actively equipping brothers and sisters for the work of ministry in the last days? Why are we at war and who is our common enemy?
Shepherd the Flock
1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it 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 will never fade away.
My alma mater Dallas Theological Seminary’s new president Mark Yarbrough shared his difficulty raising sheep for their wool to be sheared twice a year. He said: “Well, the problem with that is that sheep are so stupid that, if they are full of wool and they have not been sheared, if you have a big storm system that comes through and it rains, they WILL go out into the open field full of wool I can only imagine the dialogue that goes inside of their brain: ‘What's that falling from the sky?’ You ever watched a cotton ball get wet? Here's the problem with sheep they are so helpless they'll go out and stand in the rain and it will weight them down by hundreds of pounds and if that sheep collapses and the Shepherd is not there, you have about thirty minutes to get them back up again it will cut off the circulation of their legs and you have to put them down.”
Mark Yarbrough, Sheep and Their Shepherd, DTS Chapel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkMj155uNHs
Does it surprise you Peter addressed the elders in the last chapter? It should not. Leaders are the first to be persecuted, prosecuted and purged. Their young and old and spouse are targeted, tracked and terrorized.
The term “fellow elder” makes its only appearance in the Bible in verse 1. To the elders, Peter called himself a fellow elder and a witness to Christ’s sufferings and a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed in the future. The fellow elder, witness and partaker are all nouns.
While the verb “suffer” occurs as many as 12 times in 1 Peter, the noun “sufferings” four times in the book, but each time inescapably is contrasted worth glory:
- “the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.” (1 Peter 1:11)
- “But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:13)
- “I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed (1 Peter 5:1)
- “you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind 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.” (1 Peter 5:9-10)
The focus in the future revelation of Christ is surprisingly not the punishment of unbelievers but rather the praise for believers, not the humiliation for the unsaved but honor for the saved, and not the guilt of sinners and but the glory for saints (1 Peter 1:5).
Pastors, rookie or retiring, have only one job description. “Be shepherds” is an imperative – it’s a charge, a commission and a chore. While the verse occurs 11 times in the Bible, only two times is the verb an imperative, including Jesus’ famous command to Peter: “Feed” my sheep (KJV). One from Christ to Peter, and now from Peter to elders. To shepherd is to give TLC – tender, loving care – to lead and love the sheep; to gather and guide them, to defend and direct them.
The second contrast is a set of contrasts:
“not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” (vv 2-3)
The first is “must” in NIV (v 2) or “constrain” in KJV and “compulsion” in ESV. Compulsion means obligated rather than offered, coercion rather than calling, more duty than devotion. How is “dishonest again” (v 2) and “eager to serve” a contrast. The answer is found in money versus ministry because the latter “eager to serve” (prothumos) is derived from the noun “fierceness” (thumos). Money is cold as ministry is fire. The last contrast is “lording it over” versus “being examples to the flock” – to be a shepherd and not a cowboy, to pull and not push, to grow and not to govern.
Support the Faithful
5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Here is a set of contrasts:
Appetite says, “Be sensuous, enjoy yourself.”
Education says, “Be resourceful, expand yourself.”
Materialism says, “Be satisfied, please yourself.”
Psychology says, “Be confident, fulfill yourself.”
Pride says, “Be superior, promote yourself.”
Humanism says, “Be capable believe in yourself.”
God says, “Be wise, humble yourself.”
Peter now turns his attention from shepherds to sheep. Leaders need trust and teamwork, partnership and prayer, strength and support because it’s lonely at the top and two is better than one. Peter is addressing young men as a whole because “younger” is plural. Young and old (elders) are not alike, but they don’t have to dislike or unlike. To submit (hupo-tasso) means to be under (hupo) and the arrangement (tasso). While the task of elders is to shepherd, the task of young men is to submit, to put themselves under the watch and wisdom of the elders. For shepherds, of course, directing and deciding is best done with others’ input and involvement.
The only way for the young and old to get along is spelled in verses 5 and 6 as a noun, followed by a n adjective, then a verb, for the strongest impression, imprint and internalization: (1) humility in the form of a noun anchored by the imperative “clothe” (v 5), (2) as an adjective in “the humble” (v 5), and (v 6) as a verb in the imperative. Humility is best served inside than outside. It’s been said, The only time you must look down on another person is when you’re picking them up.
The verb “oppose” (anti-tassomai) is an extension of submit (v 5, hupo-tasso).
Resist and oppose means the same. The preposition in “oppose” (anti-tassomai) or “anti-” is anti-, against and antagonistic. The verb is derived from the word “arrange” were you are placed, who your partner. Oppose is more than merely feelings, face or fatigue. God will personally frustrate, fix and forsake you. You will eventually falter, fret and fail. All you do is flat, fragmented and futile.
Humble is also contrasted with “mighty” (v 6) and “exalt.” The only one mighty, however, is “His” hand – the only time the adjective “mighty” appears in the Bible. The noun “might” is translated as strength (Luke 1:51), power (Eph 1:19) and dominion (1 Peter 4:11). Exalt (hupsoo) is the purpose clause (hina). Exalt means lift up (John 3:14). It is derived from the word “hyper’ or above (Matt 10:24). It is to be above and beyond, higher and higher, up and over, up and away. It’s been said, “The way up is down!” what goes around comes around, deeper down is go up. The only other instances of “humble” as an imperative in the Bible is in James 4:10: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” They are both passive tenses, imperative moods and end in exaltation by God.
The way to be humble is to cast (participle) our cares upon him. Casting means depositing, dispersing, delivering, dispatching and directing all our cares to Him.
Stop the Foe
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 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. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 12 With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Four statements of which one is true:
a. fear God
b. fear sin
c. fear nothing but fear itself
d. fear the devil
e. fear the unknown
The Bible never teach us to fear the devil, but to fear God. Our common enemy and the only enemy is the devil, not elders or younger. The command “be alert” occurs six times in the Bible, but half of it is an imperative. The first imperative “to be alert” is to be on your toes, on your feet, and on your knees in prayer. The second imperative “sober” is traditionally translated as watch (Matt 24:42) 20 of it’s 22 times in the Bible, and 11 0f it’s 22 times is imperatives. The difference is the first one is inside for temperament (alert) and outside for watchfulness (sober).
The passage’s third and last imperative “resist” is translated as withstand (Acts 13:8). The sufferings in the three previous occurrences in 1 Peter refer to the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 1:11, 4:13, 5:1), while here is it is believer’s sufferings. Out of its 14 occurrences in the Bible, two in the end are imperatives and both related to the devil, including James 4:7:
The most straightforward teaching on how to deal with the devil is plain:
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
“Resist him, standing firm in the faith” (1 Peter 5:9)
The contrasts in verse 11 are:
Make perfect (katartísei) Stablish (steeríxei) Strengthen (sthenoósei) Settle (themelioósei)
Sanctification Stability Strength Steadfastness
Anti-stagnate Anti-slip Anti-slack Anti-swing
Endgame Established Empowered Ensuing, erect
Conclusion:
The last days are a continual even rather than a continuous event, a coming event more than a current event. We have three inescapable tasks: to be sufferers of Christ to the outside, shepherds to those inside and soldiers of Christ to battle the devil. In the last days, we must not fall short, fall behind, or fall away, but forge ahead, fear God and finish well.
