1 Peter 5, Letter From Babylon

1 Peter 5: Shepherding the Flock and the Promise of Glory

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 demeaning 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.

Expectations, Disappointment, and Magical Thinking

What are you expecting. Maybe right now they're expecting a defying 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 especially gone to the theater. With no expectations of what you're going to 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 was 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 they're 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.

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 6th 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 did 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 recognize 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. Were 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 if 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 enlighten. 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. It really was is made in america to satisfy american expectations.

Of chinese food after all chinese restaurants here are in business. Sorry, this is 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 five 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 four 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, i'm way over you. No, he says i'm one of you.

We're colleagues. We're partners in the ministry and he says in verse one. I'm a witness of the sufferings of g 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 a witness. I saw it myself. And peter continues. I'm a partaker a sharer. It's from the word the greek word koinonia 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. It will be made obvious later at the resurrection. Don't 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 a command. It's an 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? 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 isn't that interesting? He doesn't just say he could. Couldn't he. But he doesn't. He doesn't say well give good sermons. Paul tells timothy in second 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. Which is 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 it?

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 two 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 preach 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 pastor's 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 presbyteros in greek. We'll learn some greek presbyteros. That sounds familiar. It's where we get the word presbyterian from. And the word for oversee is from the word episkopos.

That also sounds familiar, doesn't it? It's where we get episcopalian from so he's saying you presbyterians. Be episcopalian. Something like that 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.

But we need to oversee him. They think that's the assumption of our american culture. You know, it's our politics, right? We got to checks and balances of the government so don't become tyrannical people bring the same mentality into the church.

Where we're taught to suspect authorities because we all expect. You know, they're going to be up to something. They're going to 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 in many people's thinking around here that 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 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 can find doesn't require heavy lifting.

Or 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 There 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 have 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 one thousand dollar 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 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 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 they won at the olympics is their wreath is gone. It's just withered away but here peter says. Elders who pastor the flock will 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 fellowship.

You know fellowship isn't even a word. My computer the autocorrect on my computer keeps changing it to fellowship kept having to go back. No, I meant fellowship. Don't correct me. Cultures have a lot of words for things that they value or experience a lot.

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 too 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.

Then you're put in. It's around you the believers the flock that'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 scorn 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. Maybe toward other people. Oh, they're they're sheep just following not like me. I can sit apart. I can take care of myself. Only all these people were as smart as me.

For the scorners toward the smart alecks. For the proud god is scornful. And it 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 arrogant scoffers. 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 service the proper time.

Won't be until the end of time. But when that comes. If you humble yourself. Expect to be exalted. At saint patrick's day at saint 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.

I 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.

If I don't take care of it, it 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 start at your 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 since 1993 We got to go on a one-day quote safaris for just a tour. Safari is 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 and we didn't get to see any elephants. But including a pride of lions now during our tour the spare tire for the car.

It kind of was bolted behind outside the vehicle it came loose. And so the driver had to stop On this dirt road and get out and crawl into 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. Be on 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. And then I saw a couple of weeks ago a famous pastor celebrated for his long years of faithfulness. I'm 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 scoring 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'd you expect?

And when you have suffered a little while how little is a little while in verse 10. Notice that verse 10 when you've suffered a little while. How long is that little while do they 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 confirmed that has fulfilled the promise of eternal glory.

In christ that he has already called you to fulfill it strengthen that has made 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.

Farewells, Babylon, and Eternal Glory in Christ

Departing.

Some farewells some final greetings. Here peter says he wrote this letter with sylvanus. That's the same sylus who was paul's partner whom whom they knew he had been there. They had to say 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 code name for rome. Greets the other churches. In 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 and 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. He'd 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? As 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 covet whatever the equivalent.

Don't take each other for granted because one day before that eternal glory one day they 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?

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? The question now at the end. Before we're separated.

Are you?