12/4/22 1 Peter Chapter 5

1 Peter – Chapter 5

The Humble Shepherd

5 weeks ago, when we began this sermon series on the book of 1st Peter, we used the illustration of an airplane flying high above the text. Peering out of our window, we have surveyed large geographical areas – grand spiritual themes such as suffering for Christ, living in obedience to God’s Word, submission in public and private spheres of life, and the reflection of Christ’s love through our service to others.

We have also noticed small but striking landmarks on the surface of our text:

Such as the 2nd verse of Chapter 1 dealing with God’s sovereignty, man’s obedience, and the trinity.

Verse 16 of Chapter 1 reminds us to live in a consistent pattern of obedience – to strive for holiness because we serve a holy God.  

Verse 7 in chapter 2 tells us that Jesus Christ is the solid rock in which his chosen people build their lives, and he is the same rock that causes the disobedient world to stumble while running away from God’s moral truth.

Verse 20 in Chapter 2 reminds us that our suffering has purpose because we are partaking in a similar experience to that of our savior, who endured the ultimate suffering for you and I as he bore our sins on the cross.

Verse 15 of chapter 3 reminds us that we are to be always prepared to provide reasons for why we believe what we do, why following Jesus Christ is logical and makes sense.

Verse 8 of chapter 4 informs us that love covers over a multitude of sins. That when slighted, we need to ‘let it go’ for our own benefit and for the benefit of others.

Lastly, verse 10 of chapter 4 tells us to use our gifts for others. They are not to be kept to ourselves, rather they are to be used to serve and edify the congregation – that is one of the reasons why you are here today!

This brings us to the final chapter of the amazing book of 1 Peter – Chapter 5.

Today, our plane is on its final approach - we will be landing soon. Pilots will tell you that landing a plane is the trickiest part of the flight. 50% of all aircraft fatalities occur during the final descent and landing. One must deal with many issues such as reducing the plane’s air speed, wind shear, inclement weather on the ground, etc. that require quick thinking and proper training.

All of this requires an experienced and knowledgeable crew. The captain, co-pilot, and flight attendants all play a critical role in ensuring the safety of everyone aboard the plane. It is imperative that the captain and co-pilot(s) understand how to fly the plane safely and what each individual flight instrument on the instrument panel reveals to them.

In the first 4 verses of Chapter 5, Peter is speaking directly to the pilot and co-pilots of the plane, so to speak. He is addressing those given the responsibility of guiding the local church in a safe and efficient manner. In other words, he is speaking to your pastor and elders. Here at LACC, we have traditionally referred to Elders as ‘Deacons’. Deacons in this church hold the same office as Elders did in the early church. Even though the terminology is different, the job description and duties remain the same.

Another term for Elder is Overseer and, along with the pastor (who is the chief elder, or overseer) they are to be men worthy of the calling of the office to which they hold.

Paul describes some of the qualifications and attributes of overseers in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. This passage of scripture describes a man who is: “above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money…he must manage his own family well, he must be worthy of respect (earn it) and he must have a good reputation with outsiders…..makes you think twice about becoming a leader in the church, doesn’t it?

If you are a Pastor or an Elder (Deacon) in the church, your life needs to reflect these characteristics – you aren’t called to perfection, but you ARE called to live in such a way as to exemplify these attributes on a consistent basis in your life. To put it another way, if members of the congregation would describe you as someone who is not consistently living out these principles in your life – then you seriously need to consider stepping away from your position of leadership in the church and invest time in strengthening your walk with the Lord before ever holding another authoritative office in the future.

Pastors, though they are also Elders, are given the added responsibility of having their hands on the yoke (The ‘steering wheel’, so to speak) The Pastor is the leader of the local church, the ‘captain of the plane’. The pastor needs to be alert and prepared at all times for unexpected turbulence or emergencies that may arise within the church. It is the pastor who must make difficult and timely decisions when the church experiences spiritual turbulence or when a spiritual fire needs to be extinguished.

Just as a pilot must know their aircraft inside and out, the pastor must be very familiar with the Word of God. When something unexpected happens on an airplane, a smart pilot will go directly to the flight manual for assistance. Likewise, when something needing attention arises in the church, the wise pastor will go directly to the Word of God for direction. Neither the pilot nor the pastor should rely on his own intuition to solve a problem. A flight manual is written by the maker of the aircraft and will therefore be the most reliable source of information. Likewise, the Bible was written by the maker of humanity (and the author of the Church) and it will always be the most reliable source of information for Christians.

 Lastly, just as the pilot receives direction from the control tower through radio communication, the pastor must receive direction from God through prayer. The pastor must know how to intercede for his church, but also have the patience to listen to God in prayer.

Some of my most productive prayer time is spent walking around Devil’s Lake (I know, Ironic name, right?) Let’s call it by its original name, “Spirit Lake.” It takes me just over an hour to walk the 4 miles around the lake and in each stretch of the path, I am reminded to pray about different people and things. All of you are special to me and you each have a specific “home” where you live on my path! But some of my journey is simply listening to God’s voice. It’s amazing what insights God will reveal to us if we just take the time to listen to him.

At the end of the day when it comes to pastoral leadership, the passengers and crew must have confidence in their pilot.

The story is told of a blind man, along with his guide dog, who was sitting in the first-class section of a plane that was about to back out of its gate. Just before the plane began to move, however, the flight attendant made an announcement that the flight had been delayed for 2 hours and that the passengers had the option to disembark and go back to the terminal to wait there if they wanted to. After numerous people had gotten off the plane, the pilot decided that he would wait out the delay in the pilot’s lounge back in the terminal. He approached the blind man and wondered if he’d like to be escorted back to the terminal gate to wait out the delay. The blind man said “thank you but I’ll just stay right here in my seat. My guide dog, however, would probably like to go for a walk – would you mind taking him for a stroll around the terminal?” The pilot agreed and began walking the dog up the jetway to the terminal gate. Just before emerging from the jetway, the pilot thought he’d play a joke on the airline employees who were stationed at the gate. The pilot reached in his pocket, pulled out his dark sunglasses, put them on, and proceeded toward the gate while allowing the guide dog to lead the way. Well, as you could imagine, the staff at the gate got a nice chuckle out of the pilot’s shenanigans. However, after the pilot had left the area, numerous passengers who had seen the pilot emerge from the jetway with dark sunglasses and a guide dog suddenly stormed the gate desk requesting a different flight!

The passengers had no confidence in the pilot’s ability to fly the aircraft because the pilot appeared as though he would have been unable to perform his duties. Obviously, if the pilot had really been blind, the passengers who requested a change in their flight would have been making a very wise decision!

Pastors, likewise, must be competent to “fly the plane” of the church. A pastor must have a deep understanding of God’s Word, he must converse with God through prayer on a regular basis, and he must have gifts in preaching, teaching, serving, counseling, and discernment. Pastors aren’t perfect (some are FAR from perfect – ME!) but they must invest all of themselves into their church because God has called them to be tireless, humble shepherds of his flock.

Pastors are “under shepherds” who are subservient to the “Chief Shepherd” referenced in verse 3. The Chief Shepherd, of course, is Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate shepherd whose voice his sheep recognize and obey.

John 10:27 states: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

Sheep (Just like we humans) can be difficult creatures to care for because, well, they are not the swiftest of animals and they have little to no ability to defend themselves against predators. That is why sheep need a shepherd, and they rely upon their shepherd to safely lead them through each day. This is a picture of us (The church) completely trusting in, and relying upon, Christ to safely deliver us through this life. Eventually, Jesus leads each lamb to the lush and peaceful pastures of eternity – a place called Heaven where there will be no fear of predators, and there will be no fear of getting separated from the flock.

The symbolism of shepherding would have been very significant to Peter. Do you remember in the gospel of John (chapter 21) the resurrected Jesus approaches Peter and reinstates him as the leader of the Apostles. Jesus asks him 3 times if Peter loves him in a beautiful portion of scripture that essentially neutralizes Peter’s 3 denials of having been associated with Jesus. Do you remember what Jesus tells Peter to do after each time Peter responds to him….?

Each time, Jesus says: Feed My Sheep.

Jesus is telling Peter to lead his people, to lead his church – NOT Peter’s church, but Jesus’ church. Every pastor MUST remember that the local congregation is not THEIR church, It’s JESUS’ church. The pastor is simply the individual who has been given the calling and responsibility to lead the church for a season. Above all, a pastor (and those in leadership positions within the church) must be humble!

This brings us to verses 5&6 where Peter returns to a common theme woven throughout all of scripture – The importance of Humility.

We are told to “Clothe” ourselves with humility. Have you ever wondered why Peter uses the term ‘clothing” ourselves with humility? How many of you, when you wake up in the morning, just walk out of your house with whatever you wore to bed? For some of you, that may not be very much clothing! Of course not, we put our clothes on before we go out for the day, right?

Does getting dressed happen by itself? Do your pants and socks magically appear on your legs and feet every morning? No, it takes effort to get dressed every day, does it not? It won’t happen unless we intentionally decide to do it.

The same is true of humility. Humility doesn’t just happen on its own – it takes effort. Why? Because our sinful humanity is naturally proud. Human beings don’t want to be in a position of submission or servitude to anyone or anything – including God. Especially God!

Think about it -  what’s a 2 year old’s favorite word?

Hint: It’s NOT Yes…It’s NO!

NO, NO, NO! rebelliousness and defiance is in our DNA. We want to call the shots. We want to be in charge. We want the glory and recognition for “our” accomplishments. We want others to submit to our will and our plan.

So did an infamous Angelic being by the name of Lucifer. According to the prophet Ezekiel, Lucifer was perhaps the most stunningly beautiful creature that God had ever made (Ezekiel 28:12) God granted Lucifer an amazing privilege as well – he was given the awesome responsibility of guarding the Holy mountain of God (Ezekiel 28:14) The Bible even describes Lucifer as being a blameless creature (Ezekiel 28:15) …..that is until unrighteousness (sin) was found in him (Ezekiel 28:15-16)

Lucifer’s problem?…..greed and pride. Lucifer wanted more. Lucifer wasn’t satisfied with the incredible privilege of serving the Lord in such an important way. He wasn’t satisfied with the unmatched blessings that God had bestowed upon him. He wasn’t satisfied with his lofty position. He wasn’t satisfied with his unmatched beauty. He wasn’t satisfied with the power and authority that God allowed him to have…Lucifer wanted more. Lucifer grew tired of serving God – Lucifer wanted to be God.

Adam and Eve wanted the same thing - they wanted to be like God. And if we are honest with ourselves, we naturally want to be like God as well. We want to be in charge. We naturally want power over everything and everyone in our lives. That’s why 3 year-olds don’t naturally share their toys, and that’s also why some 30 year-olds don’t share their toys either.

Humility takes effort because we are born selfish and prideful. It is only through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit that we are able to live self-less and humble lives on a consistent basis.

In verse 8, Peter describes Lucifer as the Devil who “Prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Most humans have always had a healthy fear of lions because lions sit at the top of the food chain – they have no natural predators (except for modern man)

In Peter’s day of course, there were no guns capable of taking down a lion so, naturally, Lions were feared to a much greater extent than they are now. Imagine going on an African safari in an area where lions are known to live with no weapons – just you and your backpack. No thank you!

Lions are beautiful animals, but they are also extremely efficient killing machines. If hungry and given the chance, a lion will easily tear another animal (or a human being) to shreds in a matter of minutes, or even seconds. Some have tried to tame lions and use them in circuses and entertainment venues, but animal experts will tell you that these creatures can turn on a human at any time. Unfortunately, many lion tamers and entertainers who work with lions have found this out the hard way. Lions have no conscience. Lions don’t care if you show them affection or provide for their needs - they can go “beast-mode” on anyone at any time.

This is the imagery that Peter is drawing upon when he describes Satan as a roaring lion looking to devour. If we don’t “Resist him and stand firm in our faith” (Verse 9) we open ourselves up to Satan’s attacks. The bible describes the devil as being our adversary (Our enemy in battle) Satan has no conscience, he has no allegiance, he has no honor, and once he draws you in, he will turn on you and devour you.

So often, we try to “tame” sin, don’t we? Like a Las Vegas circus act featuring large and dangerous cats such as lions or tigers, we fancy ourselves as the brave lion tamer who can be close to the beast without being devoured by it.

We naturally are drawn to the idea of getting close to the dangerous fire but not getting burned.

You’ve probably heard about the volcano in Hawaii that erupted this past week? (Edie, I’m sure you have 😊) The civil authorities are telling the media that their biggest problem resulting from the eruption isn’t the dangerous rivers of molten lava running down the mountain, but the huge number of tourists and adventure seekers wanting to get close to the lava flow….just so they can take a selfie.

That is how mankind is with sin – we naturally desire to come as close as possible without getting “burned.” Peter warns us to resist this alluring temptation of sin. He tells us to stand firm in our faith (Verse 9) to take comfort in the fact that our brothers and sisters in Christ are fighting the same spiritual battles (Verse 9) and to remember the promise of God to His children - that by standing our ground against the Devil, we will be strengthened and one day hear those sweet words from Jesus recorded in Matthew 25:23 “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

It has been an absolute privilege to have had the opportunity to bring you this 5-part sermon series on the book of First Peter. I pray that it has been a blessing to you as it has to me.

Next week we will begin a two-part sermon series dealing with the season of Advent, culminating with a Christmas message on the morning of the 25th.

Let’s Pray.