First Peter, chapter 5. Hear now the word of God. Therefore, 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 domineering 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. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time, He may exalt you, casting all your cares 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. Let's pray. Father, we are so thankful for your word. Father, we would ask now that as it is proclaimed, that in your faithfulness and in your covenant love, you would be pleased to direct our hearts and to inform, Lord, our wills. And Lord, that you would even empower our obedience. Father, we would ask that as we work through this section of your inspired word, that you would speak to us. Lord, that it would not just merely be heard with the outer ear, but your word would penetrate deep into our hearts. And Father, we pray that you would give us not only an increased love for your word, and an increased love for your son, but also an increased love for his bride, an increased love for the church, universal and local. Father, I pray that we would be a church walking in humility, that we would humbly accept the positions, Lord, that you have measured out within this church. And would you even help us, Lord, how to live rightly, to conduct ourselves as you would have us in the household of faith, in the church of the living God, the pillar and buttress of the truth. And Father, as we live out the rules you have assigned to us within this congregation, would we be a city on a hill? Would we be used, even as Pastor Charles prayed, as a light to draw in your elect, Lord, that others would sense something missing in their life, and they would realize that they need to enter in to the house, that they need to enter into the kingdom, and that we would be quick to tell them that it is only through faith in Christ alone. Father, we pray that even this morning, that according to your sovereign will, you would be pleased to draw sinners to yourself, that they would be added, as Peter says in chapter 2, as living stones to the living stone. And Father, I just pray that we would leave here exalting and extolling the One who has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. I pray especially for the pastors of this church. that we would just be humble to fresh, that not only would you in your electing mercies call us to your Son, but you would give us the great privilege of being stewards and under shepherds to the sheep that Christ died for. Holy Spirit, oh how I pray for a greater reality of these glorious truths. May they transform not only how we think and feel, but how we live, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Please be seated. Well, this morning, we're only looking through the first four verses. However, I wanted to read the entire section of Peter's final exhortation. We remember that this is a church or churches, perhaps in Asia Minor, that are undergoing various trials, some more fiery than others, and they have an adversary who is pounding hard and shooting fiercely, and he is seeking, as a shepherd himself, to encourage them. He is seeking to equip them, how they can live in a manner worthy of the calling to which they have been called. I'm going to just work through, like a detective, these first four verses that are directed to the elders. And so this is just how I approach the text. I'm often asking questions. You can see in my notes, I just have a whole bunch of questions. Where, who, what, how, why. And that's a great way to approach your own Bible reading. When you come to the word of God, come with an inquisitive heart. come seeking to have God answer those questions. Don't just quickly read it, shut the Bible and go on in your day, but ask the Lord, what are you seeking to teach me from your word? And I also want and to preemptively remind us that this message, though directed primarily to pastors, is for the church. And so don't just sort of zone out and say, okay, I sure hope pastors Nathan and Charles are listening to Pastor Ryan. But this is the household of faith, right? We've seen already in chapter four that the church is likened to a house. We're studying ecclesiology in our grace groups. The church is a body, and we all actually function together. That Christ is actually building His body and He is actually apportioning the various positions, whether you're an elder or a deacon, or none of those things. If you belong to Christ's church, the composition of the church should be important to you. And my applications will be Can you please pray for us as sinful elders? Can you please pray that God would work in us? These are weighty truths. These are heavy. And part of me did not want to preach these because I personally fall so short of these, which is why I'm actually beseeching you. Pray for your elders. And pray that we ourselves would be shepherded by the Chief. the Archshepherd, Jesus Christ. Well, let's wait to the end of the Sermon for Application. So, we find ourselves asking the first question, where are we? Well, of course, we're in Chapter 5 because that is where I had you open your Bibles to and stand up and listen to as we read it. However, the first word in Verse one is therefore. The ESV has so, so is all right, but therefore is just a stronger conjunction. It's linking us to what Peter has just said before. And notice verse 19. Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. Therefore. And so I want you to understand the importance actually of having godly leadership, godly elders, pastors within the church, especially the suffering church. Do you see that? Draw a little arrow, right? If God's purging begins with his house, we saw that two weeks ago in chapter four, therefore, elders, I have a word for you. This is important. God loves the purity of his church. He loves the sheep. We saw in chapter two that Christ gave his life for the sheep. And that first Peter is really an extended exposition of Isaiah 53. The sheep that love to wander, but who in God's electing grace were brought to the great shepherd. Christ's love for the sheep doesn't cease when they come to him for salvation. He extends his love to the sheep by appointing under shepherds. over them. So where are we? We're in the context of suffering and the necessity of godly pastors. I would ask you, when you're looking for a church, we've had lots of people visiting over the various months, but when you're looking for a church, what are the criteria? In our market-driven Western culture, we often think of, well, how is the worship? Which is always a misnomer, which really means, how lively is the music? I hope you understand that worship is to characterize the entirety of this service. That when we have Sam reading the call to worship from Psalm 55, to Charles' pastoral prayer, to the Psalms reading, it's all worship. All of life is worship. This is worship right now. And I'm so thankful I don't have an organ or a keyboard going off while I'm preaching, but worship is not just music. It is the heart responding to God's revelation with adoration and praise and exaltation. But most people, when they're looking for a church, they want good music, or a close location, a nice building with a cappuccino maker, or the youth programs. Now those aren't bad things. I like a good cup of cappuccino. And I'm thankful for the way Matt and Peter look after the youth, and Susie. Okay, those are important, but I would put forward to you from the scriptures that the most important component of a church when you're looking for one is what are the pastors like? What is their character? What is their conduct? Do they hold firmly to the trustworthy word as taught? Do they know their crook well? And I'm not talking about a crook who robs you, but the crook, the staff that a shepherd carries, the crook of God's word. I would say, correct the sheep and corral them in. That should be the first thing. And you might know people who are looking for a church. And I would say, well, what does the Bible say? Christ loves his church. He so loves her in Ephesians 4 that in his triumphant conquest of his enemies, when he rose and he gave gifts to men, Psalm 68, he gave his bride adorning gifts. And I know me and Charles and Nathan and Marvin don't look like we're adorning gifts, but you need to see what the Bible says. He gave pastors and teachers as gifts to the church. And as goes the leadership, so goes the church. The pew will never rise higher than the pulpit, as Albert Martin says. So pray for your pastors who preach and teach and model the word of God. Where are we? We're in a time of persecution, at least in 1 Peter. And he now directs his exhortation to the elders. That's important, and I've seen this in the last two years. Men who I previously really found myself being blessed by, showing themselves to be more hirelingly than shepherdly. Not just do they preach well, but they love Christ's flock. Will they die for her? Will they live for her? Because Christ loves his flock, He gives his flock elders. So that's the where. We're in the context of suffering and the importance of godly leadership to help the sheep navigate themselves through that. Not out of suffering, but through it. And I want to encourage you to keep praying for us because when suffering comes to the church, where does it first find itself? Pastors who will not compromise. So pray that we wouldn't be hirelings. Pray. The next question I asked is who? Who is being addressed and who is speaking? Well, again, just let your eyes follow the text. So I exhort the elders. who are among you. Let's look firstly at who is being addressed. It's the elders. That's that Greek word presbyteros. Perhaps you've heard of the denomination of Presbyterians. Well, this is where they get it from. That they have a leadership structure where they have ruling elders and then they also have teaching elders and then they have all these various structural ecclesiological templates. Paul's not getting into, or Peter's not getting into that, he's just saying elders. That's that Greek word presbyteros. And he's not just talking about old people, he's talking about spiritually mature leaders. Please understand that leadership finds, yes, its precedence in the Old Testament, but it is prioritized especially in the New Testament when it comes to elders. It's used all throughout the New Testament after Christ is raised and he sends and he pours out his spirit that there's the apostles and the prophets who lay the foundation in the book of Acts, but you see a transition away from that, from Acts 11 on. After Peter goes to the Gentiles and the gospel is preached there and the foundation is laid, we now see that the church now is led not by apostles and prophets, but now by shepherds and teachers. And so this Greek word has to do with men who are spiritually mature. And yes, I'm intentional, it is men. And if you want to look at this, I would encourage you to look later at 1 Timothy chapter 3, Titus chapter 1, Hebrews chapter 13, Acts chapter 14, Acts chapter 20, Hebrews, oh I said Hebrews 13, 1 Thessalonians 5, it's everywhere in pervasive. Who's being addressed? The elders, literally those who are among you. So understand that there's elders, and they're out there. But Peter's saying, I'm addressing the elders who are among you. Now go back to the original context. They weren't reading the Bible on their phone, having their little devotional time in the morning. But in the first century, because parchment paper was so limited, they would actually gather together on the Lord's Day, and with those precious few copies of God's Word, they would be read together. And the entirety of this exhortation we're going to see in two weeks would be read. And so there's exhortations to the various components of the Church, And so this isn't just the elders listening and the sheep, but it would be the elders in the midst of the sheep, and that's important. It's used three times in the first two verses, among you, among you, among you. I circled it, literally, if you look at my notes, circled. Who's being addressed? Not just any elders. Not just any spiritual leaders. Those who are in your midst. And as I was sitting here enjoying how the elders are leading, you don't get this online. And this is not a shot. I get it. Some can't come for various reasons. But we're not listening to John MacArthur in California this morning. He's not in your midst. That's important. We believe in the plenary inspiration of the truth, which is a fancy way of saying every word is God-breathed, including and whom in, among you. He's not addressing elders who don't know you. He's addressing elders who are among you, who walk with you, who cry with you, who pray with you, who yes, preach to you. But these are the presbyteroi, the elders, who you could translate are in your midst. Peter's exhorting them to do something. Notice who is the one who is speaking. He is exhorting the elders, the spiritually mature men, as a fellow elder. Now remember, as we work through this next section for the next couple of weeks, the glue that holds this passage together is humility. And yes, we'll look at it in verses five and six, but here already we see Peter himself exhibiting it. Go to chapter one, verse one. How does Peter identify himself? Peter, apostle of Jesus Christ, right? He's one of the pillars we see in Galatians. But I love it that Peter now sees himself not merely as an apostle writing from his little ivory tower, but he says, I know this. I love the flock. I love those whom Christ died for. I too, though an apostle, am a fellow elder. Isn't that amazing? Peter says that I am encouraging you, not here as an apostle, but as a fellow elder. Three things, he is one, a fellow elder, two, a fellow martyr, and three, he is also a fellow partaker. These are intimate words, and though Peter is not in Asia Minor, though he's writing from Rome, he can say he is a fellow elder. That Peter, now leading the church in Rome, sees himself not as the apostle or pope of Rome, but rather just a lowly pastor, a fellow pastor, he's no better. which reminds us that actually it's the word of God that determines how the flock is directed, not some apostolic decree. Yes, that was a shot against the Catholics. He is firstly a fellow elder, but second, he's a witness. And this is to encourage the pastors and the flock that they tend. He says that he is also a martyr, that he is a witness of the sufferings of Christ. And I want to look at this from three vantage points. First, Peter did with his own eyes, in the language of 1 John 1, he did see the sufferings of Christ. Not just the passion in his last week culminating with his crucifixion, but he saw, for those three years that he followed Jesus, the sufferings. He saw the rejection. He saw the heartbreak of those who had initially followed Jesus, and then when they realized that the gospel cost them, that they would turn tail. He saw those sufferings. Three years of suffering, yes, climaxing on the cross. But Peter can say, I saw those sufferings, and I saw tidbits of his glory, but I saw them. That Christ didn't hypothetically suffer, but he really did suffer, and we really follow in his footsteps. That he was a witness of the sufferings of Christ. However, this word martus, or the Greek word martyromai, It's not just seeing, but it's actually testifying to. See, when you think of the word martyr, what comes to mind? Someone on a stake, being burnt to death, or being beheaded. The martyrs that you read about in Revelation. But this Greek word, first and foremost, meant to be a testimony. This is why they were martyred, because they martyred. They bore testimony to Christ and died for it. And Peter himself didn't just experience it with his eyes, but with his life. Go and read the book of Acts. Do you remember in Acts chapter 2, the 12th disciple, Matthias is added? And as it were, now we're gonna see the building of Israel, and Christ pours out his spirit as he promised he would. And Peter, now filled with the spirit, proclaims the gospel. And he begins to testify. And yes, Christ uses the gospel to separate the wheat from the chaff, and many are converted, but not all. And here is Peter martyring, as it were, the gospel. And chapter two, we're like, yes, thousands upon thousands being saved, crying out, what must we do? And Peter's saying, repent and be baptized, everyone in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the church is growing. However, the gospel always brings a division, a separation. And as you move through into chapter three and chapter four and chapter five, as the apostles continue to martyr the gospel, what happens? Well, Peter says, I'm also a martyr of Christ's sufferings. You remember what happens? The Sanhedrin, right, this gathering of elders, and they tell him, stop preaching this name. And they refuse to, they cannot but tell what they have seen with their eyes. And so they continue to martyr, and then they receive lashings, and whippings, and threatenings. And Peter can say, I have first-hand experience of the sufferings of Christ, and they're not the end of the world. When they returned from the scourging, did they return sullen with their heads bowed and their lips drooping? No, no, no. You know what Luke says? They returned rejoicing. Suffering has a marvelous way of actually drawing us into the life of Christ. Here are suffering people, and they can't say, oh, you don't know what we're going through, Peter. You would be as miserable as we were if you knew what was happening to us. And Peter would say, I saw what happened to Christ. I saw of his sufferings. I saw of his consequent exaltation. But I too know the joys of suffering for the sake of the name. And I exhort the pastors to teach the word of God so that those who are suffering might see that suffering is not the end of the world. It actually points us to the world that is coming. And then thirdly, it has to do with what he experiences in the church, that he is testifying that the church now is sharing in the sufferings of Christ. So who is being addressed? Elders, but the church, okay? Elders who shepherd the church. Who is the one addressing? It's not just the Apostle Peter, it's the fellow Elder Peter, the fellow Suffer Peter, and also the fellow Partaker. You see that in the text? That's the third thing. Not only is he a fellow shepherd and a fellow martyr, he's also a fellow, and here's the Greek word, koinonos. Where are we at? Koinonia. He shares in the coming glory, or I would translate, the about-to-come glory. And he tasted of this, in part, the transfiguration. Do you remember, Peter was one of the three that ascended up the mountain, and mountains are always important. And they see the resplendent glory of Christ that is pulled back just for a moment. And he's transformed. That the lowly Christ of Matthew 16 that is going to suffer is nevertheless going to be the glorified Christ of Matthew 17 and ultimately Matthew 28. And Peter says, just so you know, I've seen it. That suffering is not the last word. It wasn't the last word in Christ's life. And it won't be the last word in your life. Not only will you share in his sufferings, you will share in his glory. And that glory we've seen from 2 Corinthians is incomparable. It's the language of scales, right, in Romans 8. It's not worth being on the same scales. You're suffering now. And Peter says, I have firsthand experience. I've seen, in part, the coming glory of Christ. Don't compromise. Don't take the easy road. If God has called you to suffer, if it is his will for you as a church and especially as pastors to suffer, don't forget. Suffering now, certain glory then. It is coming, it is about to come. It is going to be revealed. It's not revealed now. Here's the Greek word. Everyone loves apocalypse. This is the Greek word, apocalyptic. The world doesn't see this. They don't see the glory of Christ. They don't see the glory of his bride now, but it will be. The veil will be removed. Christ now sees his glory in the church. We don't, but one day the faith will become sight, and one day the world will see those who suffered, even as martyrs, are his joy. They are the diadems in his crown. It will be revealed. You might not feel the glory of suffering, But it will be revealed. As sure as Christ is God, it will be revealed. And so here's Peter saying, continue on. The word exhort, parakaleo, it's a warm pastoral word. I'm encouraging the elders, encourage the flock. Encourage the suffering flock, lead them by example, lead them with the word, remind them over and over and over of coming glory. That even in suffering they might rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and glorified. Glory is a key word in 1 Peter and we want to keep preaching on the glory of Christ and even the glory that will be revealed in us when Christ is revealed. Two questions, where are we? Context of suffering. Who? Peter's addressing elders and through elders the church. What? What? He's addressed them, what are they to do? Well that's verse two. Shepherd the flock. Peter, a fellow elder, is telling the elders shepherd. What a rich word. Sometimes it's good to slow down and say what doesn't he tell us to do? He doesn't say entertain. He doesn't say, be a slick salesman. He doesn't say, be a good CEO. He actually uses a word that was despised, not only in Egypt of old, but of Rome then. Shepherds, who couldn't come home after a day of work and have a shower. They just stunk perpetually. It was the ultimate sign of humility. And he's saying, you elders, you spiritual men, those whom God has called to the task, one thing, there's only one command. The way I understand it, I've broken it down, there's one command, there's lots of things to do, but one command, one thing is necessary, Charles, Nathan, Marvin, and Ryan. Shepherd. And it's used in the heiress to say the importance. especially in the context of suffering sheep who are weary and bedraggled and tempted just to give in. Tempted just to take the easy route, to alleviate suffering. That was the temptation, just a pinch. You'll get your job back just to fill in the blank. And so he says to these men, shepherd. Now I looked up this word, If you're reading the King James, it's feed. That's a great translation, but it doesn't encapsulate the totality of that word. Now, feeding is the primary duty of shepherds, but it's also feeding and leading, protecting and guiding and binding up. It means to pastor them in the pasture. It's used to protect, and especially protect a community of believers or sheep, to guide, care for, look after. Now feeding is important, but that's not all we are to do. It also has the idea of governing. Oh, pastor, I'm just saying, this is what the Greek word, look at my lexicons. It says this, to rule and to lead. Shepherds actually lead sheep. They don't offer suggestions. With the crook entrusted to them, purchased by another, They lead unashamedly, uncompromisingly, and sometimes they need to knock that sheep on the nose and say, that cliff will lead you to certain death and peril. They use that crook to bring them away from danger, and they lead them to streams of living water, and they lead them to green pastures where they can eat healthily. But do understand that these overseers, these elders, these pastors, these shepherds, yes, they feed. but they also protect and guide and care for. It's a very intimate word. I just love how Peter, inspired by the Spirit, says this is the one thing. Pastor them, shepherd them. Now we're getting there, right? Shepherds need to be shepherded by the good shepherd, but imitate Christ and the way he shepherds his sheep by the grace of God. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you. And let me just again, just tell you that it's important. So I circled the enhumen in verse one, right? The presbytery who is in your midst. Well, now he's talking about the sheep in the midst of the elders, right? Did you see that? In verse one, you've got, he's addressing that there's elders in the midst of the flock. And now he's talking about the flock in the midst of the elders. They're within each other. Why do you prolong that? because I like to see you get agitated, but I would say that because the elders that you have have been given a determined or allotted flock. That I'm not the pastor of somebody from another church. We need to understand this. Every pastor should have sheep, and every sheep needs a pastor. Of course you say that. Remember, I'm shepherding you with the crook of God's Word. This is not the opinion of your pastor. I didn't get this from a commentary. I'm just reading what God's Word says. This is why we work expositionally through the text. And I prayed to God this week that he would give me humility to preach this, because it might look like I'm being overbearing or arrogant. But I'm just saying, when I read the New Testament, If you're a sheep without a shepherd, you're in a very, very precarious position. Right? Shepherd. Who? Everybody? Do I shepherd people in Indonesia? Do I shepherd people in Florida? Do I shepherd people in South America? I shepherd the flock that God has entrusted to me. We're going to see that in the very next verse, actually. Not dominating over those in your charge. Nathan should not feel guilty when he cannot shepherd everyone. Only Jesus can. And then he delegates that with the stewardship of local pastors in a local church. The church in the West is completely mistaken what a church is. Oh, it's a universal church. Yeah, but everywhere it's the local church with local pastors in the midst. This is why we take membership so seriously. Some people, they leave you in a stink. But they were never members. Go to Hebrews 13. You saw me fiddling with my Bible ribbon before I turned to 1 Peter 5. Listen to these words from Hebrews 13. It's only a couple of books behind here. Okay, we'll look at verse 7 later, but I want you to look at verse 17. This is not a suggestion, this is a command. Obey who? Your leaders. My question is, who is your leader? Okay. Right, but not fully right. Who is the author of Hebrew's writing here? He's talking about the leaders of the church here. Now, of course, we're under Christ. Please don't hear me. Our authority is derivative. But he's saying obey your leaders. Well, who are your leaders? Those are your pastors. I find too many people who are quick to say, well, we'll obey the government and we'll obey this, but they really struggle when it comes to obeying those whom Christ has given a great love for their souls. Your government doesn't love you the way the shepherds do here at this church. And it grieves, honestly, we'll have suggestions and people will say, no, that's grievous to someone who loves you. And these men love you. We've wept for this church many times. I know God has called these men here. Why? Because they love this church. Charles literally told us, when we were thinking about all the ramifications of persecution and people moving here and here and here, Charles said, we moved here for this church. He moved to three provinces for this church. Wow. Obey your leaders and submit to them. Listen, for they are doing what? They are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account. I only have to give an account to those entrusted to me. Which is why I don't feel guilty when everybody who emails me or calls me from Timbuktu doesn't hear back from me. I minister and shepherd, right? If there's two flocks and shepherds there, he might want to go and help out with that other, but he's not commissioned to that. If he's negligent of his flock for another flock, he's a bad steward, he's a bad shepherd, he's a bad pastor. And so it says here, they're keeping watch over your souls, as those will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy. So what are these overseers, these shepherds, these pastors, what are they to do? They are to shepherd the flock among them. Now, notice, Kloss picked up on this. There's an important genitive in here. They are the flock. Of God, I didn't die for your sins, and you don't belong to me. I'm just a lowly steward. I have been entrusted as a steward over, or one of the stewards over this, but you don't belong to me. And that's liberating, I hope, to you, as it is to me. I can't lord things over you. All I can do is be faithful with what the Lord has entrusted to me. But he says, shepherd the flock of God. And you can go back to chapter two, which is picking up on Isaiah 53, and it reminds us that this flock is precious. And I thought lots of Nathan and Charles and Marvin as I prepared this. And I need to remember that when I'm preparing sermons, when I'm putting up with all kinds of things, that you belong to Christ. That you are the children of the Father. So remember that. There are days when I really don't feel like shepherding. Just as a disclosure, I'm just a human. But when I remember that Christ purchased you, Mark, with his precious blood, when he bought for you, Matt and Ashley, with his blood, that you actually belong to God, and the one who has entrusted this to me is God, it's serious stuff. which is why then we would labor. I was reading Al Martin's book, The Man of God, Volume 1, and he quotes Richard Baxter, and I put a star beside it, and Baxter says, are they worth Christ's blood but not my labor? See, I need to remember that. You are so precious to God that Christ shed his blood for you, Acts 20. in the context of Paul exhorting the elders of the church in Ephesus. Christ bought you with his blood, and the Holy Spirit appointed us as elders to care for you. See, sometimes we think, how much do I matter to God? He shed his blood, but he also gave you elders. You might not think it that way. Guess we're imperfect, but God actually demonstrates his love in giving you godly elders. So the what? Simple, shepherd the flock of God in your midst. Next is the how, and that's followed by a participle. Exercising oversight. That's where the word episkopos, or bishop, I don't like bishop, that's a terrible translation. Oh, it's terrible. Right, the Catholic Church has just taken that and just destroyed it. Oh, bishop, epi, over, skopos, seer. How do we shepherd? We need to see, which is why we need to be in your midst. I can't see. Online church is a misnomer. I'm not taking a shot, I'm just saying, it's just unbiblical. I can't look through the wires and see what you're doing at home. So how do I shepherd? Primarily by exercising oversight, by overseeing. You nosy pastors, no. Loving, caring. Right, that's what a shepherd does, he watches the flock. And when he sees some string, he goes and gets them. When he sees that there's no food there, he leads them. That's just what good shepherds do, is they oversee and then act on it. There's three contrasts that Peter gives to the elders here. You shepherd by exercising oversight, and then he's going to fill in, as it were, the blanks with three contrasts. I'm not gonna spend too much time on them, because they're pretty simple and straightforward. We shepherd by exercising oversight. Not but, not but, not but. Do you see that? I hope so. And Sam Storm says here, there's three dangers that present themselves to pastors. Love of praise, love of profit, love of power. Which is why I ask, pray for us. We are not above this. We are men who need Christ as much as you do. And we will have to give an account of how we have lived and how we have shepherded. This is terrifying. This is why James says, let not there be amongst you many teachers. There's a more stricter rendering of accounting to us. Which is why if you're thinking about, this is serious stuff. It's Christ's bride. So let's look at the first contrast. Not under compulsion. which is why in 1 Timothy 3, it says that if anyone of you desires this, or the ESVA thing says aspires to, this has to be an inner compulsion. Now I get it, all sheep love the sheep, but this has to be such a unique desire. Oh, to see the sheep wandering, it burdens me. To see them falling into error, it hurts me within. To see them joyous is my greatest delight. It has to be an inner compulsion. And that's the danger of sort of an entertainment-focused model. This guy's a great CEO and he's a great businessman and he's a great speaker, get him into leadership. What if he doesn't want to? We saw it this morning, right, of that obedience that isn't rendered from the heart. I'm not saying that such a person is not a Christian, but if they're forced to do it, that's probably one reason why God didn't give me any boys. I wanted to have boys, so they'd all become little preachers. But what if God hasn't called them to be preachers? See, in Acts 20, you know who appoints, you know who calls the elders? The Spirit. I remember in seminary, I had that compulsion. And I didn't mean to, but I said, woe is me if I preach not the gospel. And a guy beside me dropped out after. Not because he wasn't Christian, but he didn't have that compulsion. He's like, ah, I shouldn't be in pastoral ministry. Don't do it, says Peter, under compulsion. Just like God doesn't want you to give under compulsion, right? Paul uses that in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. He wants you to do so cheerfully. And how will you know an elder is called? He shepherds cheerfully. Right? Right there in the muck with the sheep. Cheerfully. Why? Because he loves. He has a supernatural, special love for the flock of God. This is why you have to pray. Right? Mondays are hard on pastors. They're burnt out. And it's maybe not as willing. But the Spirit of God, for these last 15 years, and thankful has given me this willingness." Not under compulsion, but willingly, first contrast. Second, oh, oh, oh, wait, wait, wait, wait. Not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you. That's an interesting prepositional phrase. Literally says, kata theon, according to God. And it's difficult to translate. And it's used only in one other place here in 1 Peter. It's in 1 Peter, Chapter 4, verse 6, and he's contrasting according to men and according to God. And you can just fill that out. How would God have us, Nathan, Charles, shepherd his flock according to him and not according to man? See, men want something from you. They want your money or they want your praise. There's always a motive. But when we shepherd according to God, we're not trying to get something, we're giving ourselves for. It's the antithesis of Ezekiel 34. Go and read it. God rebukes those shepherds who do what to the sheep? They don't feed them, they feed on them. I hope by God's grace we can say we're not preaching so that you will pat us on the back or put money in a plate or give us things. That's not why we do it. Even Paul could say, even though I love you the more, do you love us the less? Why did Paul keep pressing on? Because he was doing so according to God. As God would have us. Or, I think the LSV says, according to God's will. That we would shepherd you, exercising oversight in accordance with God and His will. God's will for the church is to grow and to be healthy and to flourish and to be a light. Oh, that he would enable us as your overseers to give you oversight willingly. God wants willing obedience. This is applicable for everybody. If you're a pastor or not, he wants willing obedience that is rendered from a heart that is in love with Christ, enabled by the Spirit. Second contrast. Not, sorry, sorry, sorry, I missed it here. Not under compulsion, but willing as God would have you. Not for shameful gain, but eagerly. I just wanna spend 30 seconds here. Some people think, oh, well, pastors shouldn't get paid. If pastors didn't get remunerated, this wouldn't be in here, right? And I would encourage you to look in 1 Timothy 5. Those who serve at the altar under the Old Covenant, are they not also granted to partake of the sacrificial offering? Like, God cares, right? Don't muzzle the ox. I know the jokes, that's low-hanging fruit, I get it. But that's just God's model. And there are some denominations that almost like glory in the fact that they don't pay their pastors. Or that they pay them very poorly. I'm reading a book on John Kelvin right now. And when he moved to Geneva, they're like, yeah, let's pay him as little as possible so that we know that his heart's in it. Well, I'm not in it for the money. But starving a pastor and his family is not the model of godliness, or of generosity, of hospitality. Now, please don't hear me asking for a raise. I've never once, and I never will. But why not pray that God would so increase our giving that we could have multiple pastors that can give themselves to full-time ministry? That's a good thing. You should want a pastor who has his nose in the Word of God for hours and hours a week. Not someone who's worked 50 hours at their job. It's not wrong, I get it. But then he's just like, I don't know, I'll just do the Flopsy Reedy on Sunday. You know what the Flopsy Reedy is, right? You just flop your Bible open and read it and pretend you know what you're talking about. But there's nothing, right? And so the reason why Peter says here, not for filthy lucre or not for shameful gain, it's because some pastors went into it for the money, which is a tragedy. And I fear for some men who will stand before Christ, who are in the ministry for all the wrong reasons. Okay? They are to be... I wrote it in my notes somewhere. Man, I got way too many notes here. Ah, they're greedy not for gold from the sheep, but they're greedy for the good of the sheep, or eager for that. Paul says, I don't want what belongs to you. I want you. That should be your pastors. Right? We don't want your gifts. We want to see you grow in godliness. That's why God has called us. Quickly and thirdly, last contrast. Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And I am almost entirely certain that Peter is picking up from Matthew 20 or Mark 10. Do you remember when Jesus explained the way of the Messiah, the way of the cross, the way of the kingdom? that the son of man is about to be betrayed and handed over to sinners, and they will flog him and mock him and spit on him and be crucified. And on the third day, he will write, do you remember the disciples didn't get it? They didn't get it because three times in Mark 8 and 9 and 10, they followed it up with, who's the greatest? Even James and John getting their mom to ask on their behalf. Seriously, not right. And Peter would have been one of them. Do you remember the response of the 10, right? James and John actually did what everyone was thinking. Hey, can we sit at your right hand and your left, right? They're sort of ferreting for position. And the other 10 were like, ah, you're just fellow sinners like us. They were, in the imperfect, indignant. Peter was indignant because he didn't understand the way of the Messiah. He didn't understand what true leadership looked like. Shepherd leadership is servant leadership. You don't have little popes ruling over you. And we're not pointing our fingers, telling everybody to do this and that. That is not the kind of leadership we have been called to. How do we exercise oversight? Not domineering, literally not lording over. You remember Jesus said to the disciples, now the Gentiles, their leadership, they lord it over you. And we can feel that even in our own country. I am 100% convinced the leadership over us right now is not according to God or according to the way He would have it. Why? Because they're lording it over those under their jurisdiction. Not so among you, says Jesus. Not so, Peter. You want to be greatest in the kingdom? You need to be least. You need to be humble. You need to be a servant. You need to be those who wait on those entrusted to you. So how do we exercise oversight? One, willingly. Two, eagerly. Three, illustratively, or as examples. Tupos, that's just the word. A type, a model, something people can see, and this is important. Not only do we teach with our lips, but we model with our life. Timothy, watch your life, or literally yourself, and doctrine. Let others see that you're growing. It's important. When Paul is telling the elders in Acts 20, he says, you've seen my life, that I didn't covet any man's silver or gold. I preached freely. I hope that you'll be able to see that in your elders. We're imperfect sinners, I get it, but I hope you see that we're growing in godliness and our love for Christ and our love for you. That we need to be examples. I look to Christ. Then read 1 Corinthians 11. Be imitators of... Me, as I imitate Christ. Read Philippians chapter 2 and Philippians chapter 3. I've sent Timothy to you for this very reason. They all seek their own, but not Timothy. He's a proven servant. He's like Christ. He seeks you. I've sent Epaphroditus. He almost died for you. Because he's modeling Christ. And then Paul says, keep your eyes on people like me. in Philippians 3.17. Paul says, I'm like a father, like a mother. This is your elders. That's why you need to pray for us. We will lead you astray if we ourselves go astray. We're to be a model, not to the world, but again, to those who have been entrusted to us. Where's that word here? It's very important. Clairon. It means to be assigned, allotted. That's what God does. There's local churches that Christ is head over all, and he allots to them all of the parts, including the leaders. The NET says, be an example to those entrusted to you. That's powerful. The NLT says, be an example to those assigned to your care. Who's assigned them? God. LSB, be examples of those allotted to your charge. to the sheep that Christ loves and gave his life for. So we've looked at the where, who, what, how. Lastly, we'll look at the why. Why are we to do this? Why are your elders to do this? Why are we to be an example? Because glory awaits us. It awaits you, right? Jesus, as he's preparing the apostles and the disciples through them before he goes to the cross, he keeps telling stories about stewardship. Some are entrusted with this many talents, some do this with it. But you know the response to those who are faithful. That when this king who goes to a far country to claim it, which is I think a picture of the gospel expansion, when he returns back and he settles accounts with his stewards, You long to hear it, and your pastors long to hear it, and I need to remind you of it. You will hear it. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master. That's why we do it. Rewards are not antithetical to grace. They're both in the Bible. Just do it because you love. I do. But I need to have my eyes oriented towards that coming revelation of Christ in his glory. And I long for that crown. This week I longed for that crown. And I need to be an example so that you long for that crown. Because every commentary I read, much to my chagrin, said that this isn't a special crown for pastors. I wish it was. But we are to, as it were, keep working for the crown, so that those entrusted to our care will also keep working for their crown. I don't know how many talents you've been granted, I don't know what the role of your church is, but I need to be faithful as a shepherd, to be an example so you can be faithful as a fill-in-the-blank. We're all waiting glory, a crown of glory. Why do we do it? Verse four, and when the chief shepherd, arche, the ruling, the head shepherd, when he appears, when he is manifested, when he is revealed, you will, not you might, you will receive. And this is an interesting word. It's used always of a boss, rendering out either blessing, or cursing, he's rendering out what is due to his subjects. Just like the guy who hires the people at the various times of the day, at the end of the day he comes and he gives them. They receive their due. Oh, that doesn't sound like grace. It's just what the Bible teaches. We're saved entirely by grace. But do understand, this will happen. And we will receive in accordance with how we have labored. That's what kept Paul going. Read 2 Timothy 4. I've run the race, I've kept the faith, and what waits for me? A crown! But it's not just for me, it's for all who love His appearing. Most of us shepherds need to live in such a way that we crave and long for Christ's appearing. You will receive a crown. Yes, you'll throw it at His feet, but you will receive a crown. What kind of crown? Unfading crown of glory. The Greek word is literally amaranth. It's a kind of flower that I know nothing about, so I'm just borrowing from commentaries. But it was a red flower whose color never faded, and it could be revived by water. And it was to be contrasted with those leafy, herbal crowns that you would get, you know, after you won a race, or perhaps after a military conquest. But those faded, right? I sprint, I win the 100-yard dash, they give me a crown of, like, celery. I think Matt preached on this from 1 Corinthians 9. And it's all gross and limp and rotting, right? Nice crown! That's not the crown I'm longing for. This is the amaranth crown. Not made of celery, but of amaranth. And in the Greco-Roman culture, that this became a metaphor for eternality, immortality. Your glory will never fade. Your body might be fading. The crown of wealth, of notoriety, whatever crown you're laboring for, if it isn't Christ and his kingdom, it will fade. So that's what I'm saying to Charles and Nathan and us. Let us lead in such a way, brothers, that others will say, let us invest into the only crown that will endure forever. The grass fades. The flower falls, but there are things that eternally last forever, and that is what Peter is motivating them to do. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Application. I'm hoping that you realize how important and central Godly elders are to the local church. I know there's jokes here and there, but we need to be careful. Not because they hurt Ryan's feelings, but because they're unbiblical. Okay, do we realize that? And if we have realized it, let me give you two simple applications, and I hope to God that you're already doing these. Pray to God for us. Pray. Paul asked for prayer. We ask for prayer. Second, give thanks to God for them. Do that. I don't want to embarrass you, but I can say without hesitancy that the four elders of this church love you and have been called by God. I have seen these men who work full-time jobs, give up their Thursdays, give up their Saturdays, give up their evenings. Strain, not to the disqualification, but there's a lot of strain on these brothers. Pray for them, and give thanks to God for them, and let them know that they're a blessing. They're not doing it for that, I get it. When's the last time you've thanked God for godly elders? Men who have taken a stand because they love you. Men who are not hirelings, who flee when the wolf comes. You need these kind of elders. We're gonna see next week. We have a roaring lion. Paul says in Acts 20, there are ravenous wolves. If you've got elders who will stand up and beat back the wolves and the lions with the crook of God's word and will lead you to Christ, where they themselves are going, you have no idea of how valuable that gift is. I'm not boasting. I'm just saying this is a rarity. These godly men that I am privileged to co-serve with, this is a rarity in many churches. pray for our purity and pray that we would keep our eyes on Christ. Well, I have much more to say. I will not be a bad shepherd and say it. Father, we thank you for your goodness to us. We're so thankful that our safety is not ultimately determined or dependent upon the under shepherds, but on the chief shepherd. Oh Father, We think of Peter's words in chapter two that we were once wandering, lost, rebellious sheep, but by your sovereign, regenerating grace, we have returned to the shepherd and overseer of our souls. But Father, we're so thankful that your love continues to blow our minds, that you not only give us your Son, But Lord, you also give us under shepherds who are to be types and living illustrations and examples to the flock. And Father, I just want to pray right now for the elders of this church. Oh God, would you keep us from the wiles of Satan. I pray that you protect our hearts from the love of power and money and prestige. I pray that we would fall more deeply in love with Christ and we would imitate him. That others would see that we have immersed ourselves in Christ and his word and his mission. And that we would not only be those who save ourselves but also those who hear us. Oh God, as it seems persecution may be an inevitability in the near future, would you raise up godly shepherds for all the local churches. May our hearts grieve, Lord, when we see churches being led by ill-equipped and uncalled men. Oh, that you would raise up, Lord, more godly men who love Christ and love his sheep, who will die for them, who will spend and be spent for them. Men who don't run away from trouble, but run into it. Father, I confess that is not always me. And so would you help us to remember an unfading crown of glory awaits us and all who have loved Christ's appearing. O Lord, would we long to hear those words, well done, thou good and faithful servant. As we celebrate now the feast, O Father, we pray, inflame our hearts for that day when Christ in all of his glory will be revealed. when it will be shown to us and help us to press on and press forward, we ask. Keep our church pure, keep the eldership pure, we ask in Jesus' name, amen.