1 Peter 5, Letter From Babylon

First Peter chapter 5 here the Word of the Lord so I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a

Partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed Shepherd the flock of God that is among you

Exercising oversight not under compulsion but willingly as God would have you not for shameful gain but eagerly not demeanering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock and When the chief

Shepherd appears you will receive the unfading crown of glory Likewise you who are younger be subject to the elders

Clothe yourselves all of you with humility toward one another for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time

He may exalt you casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you

Be sober minded be watchful your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour resist him firm in your faith knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world and After you have suffered a little while the

God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore confirm

Strengthen and establish you to him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen By sylvanus a faithful brother as I regard him.

I have written briefly to you Exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God Stand firm in it.

She who was at Babylon who was likewise chosen Sends you greetings and so does mark my son

Greet one another with the kiss of love peace To all of you who are in Christ May the

Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word What are you expecting? Maybe right now they're expecting a fine sermon that keeps your attention hopefully and leaves you inspired

What are you expecting? Otherwise? For lunch, maybe the rest of the day for the week ahead the rest of winter

The year maybe what are you expecting out of life? Well, you have to be careful to the expectations.

They can set you up for disappointments or If you have no expectations or maybe low expectations, you can then be pleasantly surprised

Ever watched a movie gone to a movie supposed to be gone to the theater But no expectations is what you're gonna see and be pleasantly surprised at how good it turns out

I remember that for the last of the Mohicans the hunt for red October misery

Slumdog millionaire and most recently get out Part of what made all those movie watching experiences

So fun was that I went in not knowing what to expect basically no expectations last summer

I saw Hamilton on TV and I liked it a lot, but it had been so built up. It's so high

Expectations that I wasn't surprised pleasantly. It was like yeah, it's as good as they said it was

Expectations are tricky never go out to eat with high expectations Because the restaurant you're going to did such a good job last time and then you go again.

Yeah, they're all right Okay, but you're kind of disappointed because they didn't meet expectations

They say expectations are premeditated resentments What do you expect?

Some people don't manage their expectations, but expectations end up managing them They expect marriage to be a fairy tale happily ever after They expect their checkup to be routine their biopsy to be benign their friend to be loyal their candidate to win

They expect it so much They can't accept it when it doesn't turn out that way.

They might adamantly deny that their expectations haven't been met They might live in denial Psychologists say that children particularly under seven expect their expectations to create what they expect

They expect to find a dollar under their pillow if they leave a tooth there They expect the toy they want

It's really magical thinking as though the expectations can make whatever you expect

This is it's magical thinking and we're supposed to grow out of that by about Seven years old, but obviously many people don't

I think that's what we saw in January 6 at the Capitol I think that's an example of magical thinking. I mean, what were the rioters expecting would happen?

What would they what do they think they could accomplish by all that? Did they seriously think at that point?

That they could change the apparent result of the election. I mean just even if you believe everything you believe Did they seriously think they could change things to be what they wanted them to be?

I mean even if they could somehow have compelled Congress to give them the result they wanted as soon as they went away

Congress would didn't just declare that null and void and recognized the vote of the Electoral College The expectation that anybody could have changed the result of the election at that point was just magical thinking

Expectations just warping people's view of reality Now, what do you expect? What about here at the end of first Peter?

Now it began the letter began remember by telling us that we're exiles We're God's people dispersed throughout the world a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation a

Man named rock is telling us that we're a stone house in which God lives He said that all angels authorities and powers are already subjected to Jesus.

What do you expect? That means then on how? on how we live At the end of chapter 4 he tells us that judgment has already begun

Just like Jesus's rule has already begun at the household of God that is among God's family

So he's testing us now. Maybe you were expecting no suffering Maybe you were expecting all the best parking places to open up for you whenever you go to Walmart or the mall

Well, that's magical thinking what you should expect Peter says is four things here in chapter 5 four things first shepherding second following third watching

Finally departing What do you expect out of the church particularly out of the pastor

You expect preaching and that's about it. Really. I mean it's on a good show. That's all we expect

That's why often in this culture. They call him the preacher, right? That bad habit Calling him the preacher tells us a lot about what people expect out of the pastor.

Just preach entertain or educate or enlightened With a nice speech that's attractive that's winsome

The expectation then is to give a passable sermon that hopefully draws in new people So we grow the organization meet the expectations of the customers

It's kind of like the way Chinese restaurants in America serve general Chow's chicken General Chow's chicken is not

Chinese food Sorry to burst your bubble if you thought it was go to China or Singapore Go around asking for general

Chow's chicken, and they won't know what in the world you're talking about. They they've never heard of it It was made in America really was is made in America to satisfy

American Expectations of Chinese food after all Chinese restaurants here are in business

Sorry, this is a big secret here. They're in business to make money not to be authentic experiences with Chinese culture

So they change their food according to the expectations of the customers

That's fine when it comes to the restaurant business. There's nothing wrong with that It's just good business, but it's not fine when it comes to the church

When the church changes to meet the expectations of the culture It can cause problems

Well, what do you expect? Here in first Peter 5 Peter addresses the elders of the church notice.

That's how he begins so Therefore because you got to remember how we ended in chapter 4

Judgment has begun with the house of God because of that We better get our house in order

Should we if God's begun judging his house on earth his family we better get our house in order

So because of that Peter exhorts encourages he instructs the elders among you

He's written to the whole church. Now this letter is for the whole church, but for at least four verses here He focuses particularly on the leadership

Notice that it's plural elders That's the pattern in the New Testament to have multiple elders.

It's not commanded now Singing psalms is actually commanded But having multiple elders isn't but it is the expectation that a local church has more than one elder

Of course in Peter's time all the Christians in an area also met together That's also the expectation that all the

Christians meet in one place, you know disperse They didn't have multiple churches that you kind of choose from in the same area like having multiple

Restaurants and you go to whichever one that you feel like going to now we do have multiple churches In our day and so we have to watch out for that consumer attitude creeping in like we have for restaurants

Maybe we meet the expectation for multiple elders By having multiple pastors in the same area meeting in separate churches

But I think ideally we should have multiple elders in each local church, and hopefully we will again ourselves soon

Peter says he writes as a fellow elder In other words, I'm one of you You pastors he doesn't come down heavy -handed, you know,

I'm an apostle not like you lowly pastors. I'm way over you No, he says

I'm one of you for colleagues or partners in the ministry and he says in verse 1 I'm a witness of the sufferings of Christ If you're not expecting suffering

Peter's kind of implying here saying to them, you know, if you forgot to expect suffering It's because you forgot what

Christ experienced. I can't Peter saying I can't forget Because I was witness I saw it myself

Peter continues. I'm a partaker a sharer It's from the word the

Greek word corn in EIA to have in common. I have in common With you with all of you the glory that is to be revealed and there's that kind of mysterious but great word a little ambiguous

But it raises your expectations, doesn't it glory It tells us that we can expect something amazing

Glory to be revealed the word glory simultaneously tells us that it is it is it is great

Whatever it is, and it will exceed our expectations But it's kind of mysterious.

We don't really know what to expect with it, right? We share it now I'm a sharer with you with the glory

Now we share it But it will be revealed in what we made obvious later at the resurrection to expect glory

So because judgment has begun with God's house, here's how we get our house in order you elders talking to them

Shepherd there's the verb. It's commands imperative This is what you do shepherd the flock of God that is among you the word shepherd in verse 2 is the same word

We get pastor from Could you could translate it just as well pastor the flock of God that is among you

It's the verbal form of a pastor elders pastor the flock notice that he doesn't just say preach

Notice that in that interesting. He doesn't just say pretty good couldn't he but he doesn't he doesn't say well give good sermons

Paul tells Timothy in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 to preach the word that is a part of how he pastors

But pastoring isn't just preaching if it were then it would make perfect sense to replace, you know in -person church

Which I think is a total redundancy Was it the only real kind of church is in -person, you know church means assembly

How can you not assemble if you're not in person? Anyway, it would make perfect sense to replace quote in -person church if it were all about preaching

With just preaching on TV or online Wouldn't I mean you can listen to preaching just as well

At home in front of your computer if that's the case Then why have local preachers at all

Why not just pick your favorite celebrity preachers, you know with your laptop in bed on Sunday morning

Sounds good, doesn't it? Maybe watch whoever you like Piper or Platt or Chandler who you like name your own and that would make perfect sense

If there were no flock of God no need for shepherds or other believers notice among you

Notice you use that term twice Elders among you shepherd the flock of God that's among you

But no notice the expectation verse to shepherd the flock of God That's the church the assembly of believers that is among you the

Christian people around you the focus is on the people pastor them Now we have people who want to preach particularly in this culture

We have people who want to preach but they don't really care much about the people. They're preaching to They treat the church again like a restaurant

They want to cook they don't care where or for whom they cook so they'll go to whichever restaurant will pay them to cook

We have the same expectations about the church. It's common now. It's so common. We think it's normal We think that's just the way it the business works men who want to preach and they'll go to whichever church will allow them to preach and if another church with more people opens up or Pays them offers them more money.

Well, they'll go there to preach It's all very professional with the same expectations as any other profession But John Piper was right to write a book entitled brothers written to pastors.

We are not professionals Here elders

Pastor the flock of God that is among you Care about those people

Preaching is the main way. I I Pastor the flock but it's pastoring. I'm doing not just preaching

You know, there are some people that love preaching but they don't care much for pastoring They don't want to hear the word preached to them they kind of like this abstract exposition, but they don't want to Apply to their life.

So there's a big difference considering your pastor is your preacher. I like to say Considering your pastors your preacher is like considering your wife your cook

Shepherd the flock of God and he says exercise oversight This is another verbal form of another term for pastor or elder

Overseer The word for elder is presbyter Ross and Greek won't learn some Greek presbyter Ross.

That sounds familiar It's where we get the word Presbyterian from and the word for oversee. It's from the word Episcopal That's also sounds familiar, doesn't it?

It's where we get Episcopalian from so he's saying you Presbyterians Be Episcopalian something like it you elders oversee

What do you expect out of a pastor? Now most people in this culture don't expect him to To be someone who can or perhaps even should exercise oversight

Oversee them they oversee him. He doesn't oversee them They think they don't want to be overseen or do they think they need to be overseen that we need to oversee him

They think that's the assumption of our American culture. You know, it's our politics, right? We've got a checks and balances of the government.

So don't come tyrannical people bring the same mentality into the church Where we're taught to suspect authorities because we all expect

You know, they're gonna be up to something. They're gonna be up to something wrong. If we don't keep our eye on them We don't need an eye kept on us.

We think we're fine We don't need the eyes on us, but we need to keep our eye on them And so we have numerous professed

Christians in our culture with no sense that they need to be part of a flock Where they are entrusted

To the oversight of a pastor, you know, that idea has no place and many people's thinking around here

Do they need to be under oversight me? No, I don't I don't need to be we're fine. They think it's the leaders

Who we expect to be up to something? That's the expectations of this culture distorting us

But here of the pastor is someone who has been given oversight from God over the flock of God that is around him

How do you expect him To shepherd to oversee you in verse 2.

He should be doing it Willingly because he wants to Not under compulsion not because he has to You know, it's the only job that he could find then require heavy lifting

Because he must but what he would rather give lectures Or he would rather develop his social media following with inspirational messages while the people in front of him

Don't hear how the word applies to them. No do it because you want to That's what

God expects not sullenly resentfully resenting that they're not listening to you grudgingly

It's an unpleasant duty Don't do it for the shameful gain Just just for the pay.

The implication is that even in the church in his day in Peter's Day They're the full -time elders were paid

You know if they weren't paid there would be no temptation to do it for for base gain There must been some kind of remuneration or else no one would no one would think to do it for the money

But don't do it for the money Do it eagerly for the flock of God that is among you

The pastor is to exercise oversight Notice in verse 3 the elders have people as church members who are entrusted

To them the flock of God that is entrusted to you. That's what the church is.

It is God's flock Entrusted to the leadership of Pastors that means for you if you are part of God's flock

You're entrusted to someone's leadership To be wandering around like a sheep wandering around no pastor.

No shepherd To be for you to be a Christian to be wandering around without leadership is not what

God wants. We make that entrusting Known through our intentional church membership

Who are you? entrusted to Well, God entrusts his flock to elders, but that's not an excuse for them or maybe the big guy

To be domineering to lord it over people to sit on a $1 ,000 pulpit chair Dressed in a fancy outfit and called by great titles or micromanaging people's lives

Like the cults often do telling people how they can spend every their penny or maybe they don't even allow them to have money for themselves

Who they should marry married couples when they should have sex like one cult that Mary exposed in Singapore instead of verse 3

Be examples or be be types to the flock again at the end of verse 3 live

You want to live like them not identically like you're mimicking them. I don't want people mimicking mimicking me But that they are the type of person

That you feel you can emulate at least most of the time What do you expect? You pastor should expect in verse 4 and unfading crown of glory

Not like those wreaths that the original Olympic athletes wore, you know, they just wore on I guess they plucked them out of a bush somewhere put them on their head

That's it and you can imagine a few days after that and they won at the Olympics is their wreath is gone

It's just withered away but here Peter says Elders who pastor the flock well get an unfading crown of glory that will never wither or tarnish

You may not get that now For now You might suffer

You may not get much tangible results or rewards at all But when the chief shepherd the true senior pastor appears then you can expect he says an eternal glorious Crown if you are faithful to his flock that he put in front of you here

Peter raises the expectations as high as he can Knowing that will not be disappointed when they are exceeded

What do you expect? You who are you who are not called to leadership?

You are instead called to follow ship You know follow ship isn't even a word my computer the autocorrect on my computer keeps changing it to fellowship

Keep having to go back. No, I'm in fellowship Correct me cultures have a lot of words for things that they value or experience a lot

Yeah, Eskimos have seven words for snow famously. It's telling in our culture. We don't even have one word

For the art of following not even one We have leadership for the art of leading but no proper word for following.

That's because we don't respect following We respect either the leader or maybe the rugged individualist who thinks he doesn't need any leadership

But we don't respect the follower But here beginning of verse 5 we're called to follow

You who aren't elders he says Be subject to the elders. I Bet you didn't expect that Judgment is beginning at the house of God in God's family

And he expects us all of us to be following not to be independent detached free agents

Just customers wandering around from one religious services provider to another Instead you're part of a flock you're entrusted to oversight and you clothe yourself

With humility and if you put others first like Christ who though he was he was

God put aside his rights as God and he took on The form that the clothing he clothed himself to appear

Like a servant and so you to put on the same clothing put on the uniform of a servant

To one another notice that humble yourself serve one another There's the other members of the church that you are relating to the church that did you're put in it's around you the believers the flock

It's around you You do this because at the end of verse 5 God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble

That's an adaptation from Proverbs chapter 3 verse 34, which originally says toward the scorners

The proud who scorned at others assuming that They can judge others

They can sit back and they can scoff at people like we often do in this culture toward leaders saying that They don't know what they're doing me toward other people.

Oh, they're sheep just following not like me. I can set apart I can take care of myself Only all these people were as smart as me for the scorners toward the smart alex for the proud.

God is scornful And was he humbles them he makes sure that they lose

But to the humble He gives favor Here don't be a scorner someone sitting back detached uncommitted thinking you're just you're just above it all

Doing nothing but spouting criticism be a follower So in verse 6 therefore

Because God humiliates arrogance coffers Humble yourselves humble yourself put on those servants clothes like Jesus did humble yourself under the mighty hand of God now, we're afraid to do that if We expect to be abused we expect to be taken advantage of If we don't expect that God will reward us if we don't have faith

Instead expect he says at the proper time At the proper time expect exaltation

Now maybe sometimes that exaltation will come now the proper time will come now when you can be exalted

When we recognize the gifts of people who served us Those heavenly moments when we get to recognize the meek and we get to exalt them

Maybe we'll have some proper times now but sometimes for some humbling

Some service some Cleaning of toilets and mopping floors and driving kids and that kind of thing

Some humbling some server the proper time won't be until the end of time

But when that comes if you humble yourself Expect to be exalted

At st. Patrick's Day a st. Patrick's Day party in seminary in Pasadena, California I was listening to a young lady was talking and talking and talking about herself kind of a form of self exaltation

Meanwhile, there was this other young lady going around keeping the food and the drink stocked up serving and doing whatever all the things that It took to keep the party going not drawing any attention to herself

And as she passed by me on her way to somewhere I pulled her aside and introduced her to this

Talkative one. I don't even remember the name of the talkative lady. She's talking so much about herself Forgot who she was

But about the one who was serving 30 years ago Last month I married her

Humble yourself. I'm not sure that's I humbled her or what exalted her you can interpret that how you want Humble yourself by casting all your worries on God on his on his mighty hand

Don't be the proud person who thinks that everything has to depend on you It's a form of pride.

You know, if it does if I don't do it, it won't get done I don't take care of it You won't get taken care of instead cast your anxieties your fears your burdens on the one with the mighty hand

So mighty that he can carry whatever you cast into it because you expect him to care for you

What do you expect? You expect him to care for you, but that doesn't mean kind of after shrugging off all your burdens on him

That you then be careless be carefree but not careless

Instead starting to verse 8 be watching be sober be clear -headed your perception

Be undimmed by intoxicants or by passions by things that you drink or by ideas you drink in By listening to too many rabble -rousers

Conspiracy theorists trying to fill you with passions be clear -headed So that you're not the kind like those in the capital last month who go along with a mob be watchful alert

So, you know what's going on Expect your enemy the devil at any moment.

He's prowling around stealthily stalking camouflaged in the tall grass waiting for a moment to pounce

When Mary and I were in Kenya for about two weeks, it's 1993 we got to go on a one -day quote safaris for just a tour

As far as just a fancy word for tour through a National Park there in Kenya in a Range Rover kind of vehicle

With a driver who was showing us what is what he knew where all the animals hung out We saw almost all the renowned

African animals except elephants So we didn't get to see any elephants, but including a pride of lions now during our tour the spare tire for the car

Kind of bolted behind outside the vehicle it came loose And so the driver had to stop this dirt road and to get out and crawl under the vehicle and put it back

In the middle of this Kenyan National Park now, he asked me to get out with him and to stand around just look beyond watch alert mostly for lions

I Saw a rhinoceros grazing a few hundred yards away, but thankfully no lions you

Be alert. Don't be careless We live in a predator filled environment like that Kenyan National Park There are lions to watch out for if we're careless careless about what we watch

Careless about what kind of teaching we get or careless about maybe not getting much teaching at all careless about relationships

We could be devoured The devil can attack suddenly and you can be his unsuspecting victim

So resist him you oppose him by not giving him openings Not watching things you shouldn't if you're vulnerable to pornography

Then don't subscribe to premium channels that have some on it have someone who can check your internet viewing if you're vulnerable to depression

Make sure you're connected that you have relationships in the church If you're vulnerable to greed make sure you're giving if you're vulnerable to doubts feed on what inspires your faith sound teaching

Inspirational biographies of great believers heart -filling worship music Be firm in your faith in verse 9 be firm

Even when you have to suffer It's easy to appear firm You know when life is easy when the money is rolling in Everyone likes you and you're healthy and the family is great

Easy to be firm then I saw a couple of weeks ago a famous pastor celebrated for his long years of faithfulness

Sure, that's great. But that's good, but I don't think it's any wonder to the world When you're faithful to a position

That's rewarded you with millions of dollars and three mansions and a big name You would expect almost anyone can be faithful with that kind of reward

What we're called to do is be faithful to stand firm when it's costing us

When we're suffering When people abandon us or Scorn us as bigots when we look like losers running programs for kids who can't do anything for us

Why are we meeting in a gym? We could be meeting in a proper church Stand firm knowing that the same kinds of sufferings are being experienced by your brothers and sisters in Christ around the world when you decided to follow a suffering servant,

I mean what you expect and When you have suffered a little while How little is a little while in verse 10 knows that verse 10 when you've suffered a little while How long is that little while you think

I suspect about 70 80 90 years if you're healthy just a little while that's all but after that is over You can expect the

God of all grace. He says to restore confirm Strengthen and establish you restore that has returned to you.

What was lost Confirm that has fulfilled the promise of eternal glory in Christ that he has already called you to fulfill it strengthen that is make you strong You've been worn down.

You've been weakened. He will strengthen you and Establish settle you That you will always be firm in your faith.

So to him Because he's already called you to it and He will establish you to him.

He says be dominion that is power Forever and ever

Expect that what do you expect? Well for now we have to expect some departing some farewells some final greetings

Here Peter says he wrote this letter with Sylvanus That's the same Silas who was Paul's partner whom they knew he had been there.

It is a farewell to him What Peter has written here is he calls it the true grace of God that is the doctrines of grace

Remember how God causes us to be born again How he committed no sin bore our sins and his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness

It's the true grace of God stand firm in that grace even when You're separated

She who is at Babylon The church in Babylon, that's his codename for Rome Greets the other churches and the

Old Testament Babylon had taken the Holy Nation captive exiles away from home

Now here with Peter's time Rome was the new world power the new Babylon in the elect exiles.

Remember how he began this letter chapter 1 verse 1 to you elect that's chosen

Exiles in Turkey the dispersion God's people dispersed there now he ends it at the very end in a similar way

This is a letter from Babylon from the elect exiles

The chosen people there in Babylon dispersed in symbolic Babylon to other elect exiles separated for now

Likewise, I was like you Chosen elect just like you are the elect here in Babylon greet you

Even as we're separated and so does mark mark says hi Maybe for the last time they knew mark.

You probably come to these churches that he's writing to when he was with Paul Mark was like a son to Peter now

And so mark would write a gospel based on Peter's recollections sometimes now the suffering we experience

Is the suffering of being separated? Shakespeare said partying is such sweet sorrow

So for now You elect people His flock as long as you can as long as you're not separated.

You're not parted yet Greet one another with affection and joy in their culture a holy kiss in our culture

During kovat whatever the equivalent don't take each other for granted because one day

Before that eternal glory one day that were called to One day we'll be separated

What did you expect maybe you expected all relationships to just be uninterrupted

Well, that's magical thinking They aren't even marriage is temporary for this life even families dissolve

But God has a flock a stone house a family that sure he's begun to judge

You're fine to set in order, but he will restore confirm strengthen and establish it us forever our

Nearness though for now May be interrupted for a time But it will be restored and will be established

What did you expect? We don't really know exactly what to expect. Do we? We have a word for it.

It's great, but it's Kind of fuzzy. It's ambiguous Glory here near the end eternal glory in Christ here

Peter at the very end manages our Expectations by raising them as high as he possibly can

Because the fulfillment of them will not let us down will not disappoint will not be premeditated resentments whatever eternal glory in Christ is

It will be greater than anything we've seen or heard or even hoped for it will be that perfect Peace it will exceed our expectations and it's there

It's there for all Who are truly in Christ? Who are trusting him?