WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:14.500 And in God's providence, we've come to a text this morning that deals directly with the role of elders in the church and the congregation's responsibility to follow their lead. 00:00:14.500 --> 00:00:22.719 ! Now, we know the Bible teaches us that all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable, and it's profitable for different things. 00:00:22.719 --> 00:00:33.600 But, of course, we also understand that particular text might be more or less impactful given various seasons of your life. 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:41.480 For example, we may always profit from a passage that gives us the promise of God's provision, right? 00:00:41.479 --> 00:00:53.919 But it's in those seasons when we are really desperate for God's provision that those texts become maybe a little bit more impactful to us than what they are in times of feasting and prosperity, right? 00:00:54.679 --> 00:01:04.759 And here we are at a significant season in our church's life where this text not only demands our attention and demands our meditation, as all texts do, 00:01:04.760 --> 00:01:13.420 but especially in a season when we are all praying for and desiring to see faithful elders recognized and installed in the church, 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:23.640 this particular text should carry a weight right now that it might not would carry at other times in our church's life. 00:01:24.100 --> 00:01:27.920 So let's read it together, 1 Peter 5, the first five verses. 00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:30.520 Peter writes, 00:01:30.519 --> 00:01:58.759 Not for shameful gain, but eagerly. 00:01:58.760 --> 00:02:07.080 Not domineering over or dominating those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 00:02:08.280 --> 00:02:15.520 And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 00:02:16.900 --> 00:02:21.500 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:26.780 Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another. 00:02:26.780 --> 00:02:32.819 For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 00:02:33.340 --> 00:02:33.680 Amen. 00:02:34.979 --> 00:02:40.280 Well, perhaps the first question that we need to ask when we consider this particular text is, 00:02:40.500 --> 00:02:45.139 why is Peter addressing the role of elders at all? 00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:48.460 And how are churches to relate to them? 00:02:48.520 --> 00:02:51.719 Why does he even care to bring that up? 00:02:51.719 --> 00:02:54.659 And of course, the answer to that is fairly obvious, isn't it? 00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:58.120 It's not exactly surprising that he would do this at some point in the letter. 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:12.560 All of 1 Peter is really focused in on the Christian life as a kind of exile that is replete with sufferings and discouragements that tempt us to fall away from the faith. 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:35.159 And yet, God gifts his people, his good gifts toward his people include the community of the local church and of faithful spiritual leaders in the local church that he sets apart in order to care for our souls. 00:03:35.159 --> 00:03:37.780 Do you see that and how it would fit in this letter? 00:03:38.460 --> 00:03:44.719 Here are Christians who are struggling and they're trying to thrive as God's people in the world. 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:50.240 And here is God who gifts us as a gracious gift, the local church. 00:03:51.139 --> 00:03:57.819 A community of other Christians who we might say suffer with us, suffer along with us in this life. 00:03:57.819 --> 00:04:08.519 And as part of that church community, he sets apart some of those people to have a special interest in caring for our souls. 00:04:09.500 --> 00:04:15.400 It's essential that those leaders rightly care for God's people. 00:04:15.799 --> 00:04:27.439 It's essential that those congregations appropriately submit to them and faithfully follow their lead as they faithfully fulfill the task that has been given to them. 00:04:27.819 --> 00:04:40.819 And that the relationship between a church and its leaders be marked by mutual love and mutual humility, mutual trust is critical to thriving in exile. 00:04:41.060 --> 00:04:42.879 And that's by God's design. 00:04:43.779 --> 00:04:51.060 What Peter gives us here is assumed in the community of God's people in the New Testament. 00:04:51.060 --> 00:04:57.920 So we understand is that it doesn't take very much thinking to realize, okay, why Peter would even bring this up. 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:01.399 But there's another question that maybe is a little bit more difficult to answer. 00:05:01.660 --> 00:05:03.720 And it's why does he bring it up here? 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:09.660 Of all the places that he could bring this up in the letter, why is he actually saying it here? 00:05:10.079 --> 00:05:16.379 Is it that there is a clear distinction between the previous section and this one? 00:05:16.379 --> 00:05:28.399 Is he moving on to completely new thought where he's just decided to pick up kind of maybe arbitrarily the issue of elders and congregations following them? 00:05:28.459 --> 00:05:29.639 Is it just that? 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:31.279 I don't think that it is. 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:34.019 Remember what he's just written. 00:05:34.019 --> 00:05:49.740 Alluding to prophetic patterns in the Old Testament, Peter has just told us that now is the time for God's judgment to begin with the household of God, which we understand in 1 Peter to be the church. 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:56.079 Big C church, which obviously would include little C church, local churches, right? 00:05:56.079 --> 00:06:00.740 He just told us that, that now is the time, that the end of all things is at hand. 00:06:00.939 --> 00:06:13.000 Therefore, what they're facing in the fiery trial that tests them, that proving ground and purifying ground that comes from God, is this judgment that is coming that begins at God's house. 00:06:13.779 --> 00:06:25.019 Now, if you go to a passage like Ezekiel 9, 4 to 6, which I gave you last week, which is almost certainly in Peter's mind as he's writing this particular part of the letter, 00:06:25.019 --> 00:06:33.219 you'll see that the judgment of God's house begins with the elders of God's people. 00:06:34.039 --> 00:06:38.680 So God says through Ezekiel, he's going to send his instrument of judgment. 00:06:39.479 --> 00:06:43.779 That judgment will begin at his house, right? 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:51.000 There's going to be a mark of those who stand righteous before the Lord, and then those who are unrighteous before the Lord will not receive that mark. 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:53.979 But they're all enduring the judgment in some respect. 00:06:53.980 --> 00:07:06.120 And when that instrument of judgment actually comes to the house of God, it begins with the elders who stand before the Lord, and they minister for the Lord, and they care for his people. 00:07:07.300 --> 00:07:17.500 Now, this text then is the logical step forward in this progression that Peter is presenting and that he's alluding to. 00:07:17.500 --> 00:07:21.100 Judgment begins with God's people. 00:07:22.259 --> 00:07:30.439 And that judgment that begins with God's people will naturally begin with those whom God has set apart to lead his people. 00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:36.600 And so naturally flowing out of that last text, Peter now turns to the elders of the church, and he says, 00:07:36.600 --> 00:07:41.920 Listen, there's some things that I need to exhort you to do because you're a part of this. 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:44.080 It's going to start with you. 00:07:45.180 --> 00:07:48.600 And so let me help you remember some things. 00:07:49.820 --> 00:07:54.580 Of course, the whole section here at the end of the letter, it's aimed at perseverance, isn't it? 00:07:54.740 --> 00:07:57.720 It's aimed at enduring all the way to the end. 00:07:57.720 --> 00:08:02.600 Therefore, the judgment of elders is going to come, and Peter says, 00:08:02.840 --> 00:08:07.960 Now, I want to exhort you on some matters as you persevere in this work, 00:08:08.960 --> 00:08:14.000 help you remember what you've been called to do and how you might glorify the Lord in it. 00:08:14.020 --> 00:08:14.900 So that's why it's here. 00:08:15.780 --> 00:08:19.880 Not surprised that it's in the letter, but that's why it's at this part of the letter. 00:08:21.220 --> 00:08:23.320 Peter is noting the reality of God's judgment. 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:27.399 He's recognizing the essential role of elders in the church. 00:08:27.740 --> 00:08:32.539 So he exhorts them to remain faithful to the task. 00:08:33.179 --> 00:08:41.240 Then he comforts them with the hope of Christ's return and the glory that they will share with him. 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:43.419 Which brings us to another question. 00:08:44.580 --> 00:08:46.200 Who is this text for? 00:08:47.700 --> 00:08:50.860 Is this just for those people who are serving as elders 00:08:50.860 --> 00:08:57.159 or those who would aspire to serve as elders at some point in their Christian life? 00:08:58.039 --> 00:08:59.639 Well, no, I don't think that it is. 00:08:59.860 --> 00:09:03.279 It's not just for those who serve or aspire to serve. 00:09:03.659 --> 00:09:05.659 Notice the very first phrase, what Peter says. 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:08.500 I exhort the elders among you. 00:09:08.759 --> 00:09:10.680 Who's the direct audience in that sentence? 00:09:11.259 --> 00:09:12.360 It's not yet the elders. 00:09:13.039 --> 00:09:14.860 He's going to get there in the next couple of verses. 00:09:15.220 --> 00:09:16.200 It's the you. 00:09:16.440 --> 00:09:17.279 Who's the you? 00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:18.740 It's the whole church. 00:09:19.740 --> 00:09:20.240 It's the whole church. 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:21.759 He's addressing the whole church. 00:09:22.039 --> 00:09:27.879 The whole church needs to be aware of what he's writing to those who lead them. 00:09:28.379 --> 00:09:36.659 It's written for the edification of the entire congregation for churches must rightly understand the role of pastors. 00:09:38.279 --> 00:09:44.039 They need to rightly understand what qualifies men to serve as an elder in the church. 00:09:44.039 --> 00:09:50.879 And then they need to rightly understand how to relate to those leaders that they call to lead them. 00:09:51.839 --> 00:09:53.939 So I have two objectives with that in mind. 00:09:55.019 --> 00:09:59.799 One objective this morning is I want to challenge the men in our church. 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:05.719 I want to challenge you to aspire to what Peter describes here. 00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:15.060 If not the office, the character that's described here for those who are worthy to fill it. 00:10:16.100 --> 00:10:24.120 The reality is that very few of us will probably have the opportunity to actually hold this office. 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:28.639 But all of us should view it as an honorable task. 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:35.439 All of us should have a kind of willingness to do it if called upon to do it. 00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:41.539 All of us should pursue the character that is necessary for those who lead. 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:51.240 So my first objective today is to challenge the men of our church to think deeply about this and to aspire to it. 00:10:51.639 --> 00:11:03.039 Because the bottom line is that our church needs faithful men who will actually desire to care for the souls of the people in this congregation. 00:11:03.779 --> 00:11:05.139 That's objective number one. 00:11:05.219 --> 00:11:06.919 So you men, listen up. 00:11:06.919 --> 00:11:08.899 Objective number two. 00:11:10.139 --> 00:11:11.959 I want to encourage our whole church. 00:11:12.259 --> 00:11:16.019 And I wish that on this day, this is in the Lord's providence, of course. 00:11:16.059 --> 00:11:21.360 But I wish on this day more of our church family would have been able to be here to hear this. 00:11:21.439 --> 00:11:30.419 But I want to encourage our congregation to think well about the kind of men we should call to serve as elders. 00:11:31.819 --> 00:11:34.759 We need to understand what the task actually is. 00:11:34.759 --> 00:11:36.939 Because there's a lot of confusion about that. 00:11:37.740 --> 00:11:41.819 Maybe not necessarily in our church, but out there in the Christian world, there's a lot of confusion about that. 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:44.120 We need to understand this well. 00:11:44.919 --> 00:11:48.899 What are we actually looking for when it comes time to call men to serve in this way? 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:54.220 And then we need to think deeply about what our relationship is to them once we call them. 00:11:55.480 --> 00:11:57.600 What is our responsibility to them? 00:11:57.600 --> 00:12:03.860 And what does it mean to follow them once we ask them to lead us? 00:12:04.100 --> 00:12:05.379 Those are the objectives, okay? 00:12:06.420 --> 00:12:10.639 First thing I want you to see here is I want you to see the qualities of faithful elders. 00:12:11.580 --> 00:12:13.460 The quality of faithful elders. 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:16.620 So on one hand, I want the men in our church to look at these qualities and say, 00:12:16.899 --> 00:12:19.399 okay, I want to pursue that kind of life. 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:23.659 Even if I've never called upon to fill the office, I want to pursue this kind of life. 00:12:23.879 --> 00:12:30.159 I want the whole church to look at this passage and say, okay, when it's time to call men to serve, this is what we're looking for. 00:12:30.459 --> 00:12:33.980 This is what we will call them to do, okay? 00:12:34.139 --> 00:12:35.220 The qualities here. 00:12:35.459 --> 00:12:40.000 Now, the New Testament scriptures, maybe you'll remember from some of our studies in this last year, 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:47.080 it uses three different words interchangeably to refer to the office of pastor in the church. 00:12:47.460 --> 00:12:51.659 Remember, there's elder, there's shepherd or pastor, right? 00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:52.960 It's the same term. 00:12:53.259 --> 00:12:54.700 We just say it different ways. 00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:57.679 And then there is overseer, right? 00:12:57.980 --> 00:13:01.659 Shepherd, shepherd or pastor, overseer, elder. 00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:05.659 Peter actually uses all three of these terms just in these first two verses. 00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:07.000 Did you pick up on that? 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:13.779 I exhort the elders among you to shepherd the flock of God, giving oversight. 00:13:13.940 --> 00:13:14.879 That's intentional. 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:20.639 He's using these words the way the apostles were interchanging them all throughout the New Testament. 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:27.759 So we understand with that, he isn't just talking about or addressing the aged men in the church. 00:13:28.899 --> 00:13:33.279 Elders in this case is just not men who have reached a certain age. 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:38.819 Neither is he speaking of different offices in the church. 00:13:39.779 --> 00:13:47.600 This is one office, and the different terms that he's using represent the various functions of that one office. 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:49.799 And Peter is clearly thinking that way. 00:13:50.620 --> 00:14:01.299 They are elders because they have a spiritual maturity that is relative to the people that they serve, right? 00:14:01.299 --> 00:14:02.740 That's the point of elders. 00:14:02.819 --> 00:14:04.359 It's not that they've reached a certain age. 00:14:04.419 --> 00:14:12.259 It's that they possess a kind of spiritual maturity relative to their congregation that will actually allow them to lead well 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:18.199 and to be a faithful example to the people that are around them, right? 00:14:18.259 --> 00:14:19.719 So that's why they're elders. 00:14:19.719 --> 00:14:27.240 They are shepherds because their task is to care for God's flock. 00:14:27.779 --> 00:14:28.759 That's the task. 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:41.139 They are overseers because spiritual care requires a kind of oversight and authority over the people and the ministries of the church. 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:45.059 And of course, as you'll see, as in every other instance in the New Testament, 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:48.379 Peter uses the plural form of elders, 00:14:48.379 --> 00:14:58.879 suggesting that there were multiple men in each church working together to lead and care for the people. 00:14:59.620 --> 00:15:02.980 Now, Peter approaches this different than Paul. 00:15:03.720 --> 00:15:06.820 If you reflect on Paul in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:08.860 Peter's doing something a little bit different. 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:13.740 He's not giving an exhaustive list of character traits or qualifications. 00:15:14.220 --> 00:15:15.820 We can go to those texts to see that. 00:15:15.820 --> 00:15:17.440 That's not exactly what he's doing here. 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:20.720 He's addressing those current elders directly. 00:15:21.280 --> 00:15:29.500 He's exhorting them to pursue three essential qualities of faithful pastoral ministry. 00:15:29.500 --> 00:15:32.040 And he's doing it with tremendous care. 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:35.300 Notice he's doing it as a peer. 00:15:36.740 --> 00:15:38.260 I'm exhorting you. 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:39.740 That's a little bit different. 00:15:39.740 --> 00:15:44.360 Not quite as strong as demanding of you or commanding you. 00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:50.580 So though Peter has the authority as an apostle to make those demands, that's not his approach here. 00:15:51.139 --> 00:15:55.620 He's practicing what he's preaching here in these later verses as he addresses the elders. 00:15:55.620 --> 00:16:01.019 And he says, I'm coming to you as a fellow elder, as one of the men who's in the throes of it with you, 00:16:01.720 --> 00:16:08.740 who's not only a witness of the sufferings of Christ, but there's an implication here of he is a fellow sufferer with Christ, 00:16:08.820 --> 00:16:11.539 just as those men would have been fellow sufferers with Christ. 00:16:11.740 --> 00:16:12.580 He's a partaker. 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:15.519 In other words, I'm with you in this, and I'm exhorting you. 00:16:15.600 --> 00:16:16.539 I'm encouraging you. 00:16:16.539 --> 00:16:23.099 I'm trying to persuade you to go at this task a particular way as one who's trying to do it with you. 00:16:23.779 --> 00:16:28.299 And he gives us these three essential qualities which help us to understand the role. 00:16:28.899 --> 00:16:29.559 Three things. 00:16:29.639 --> 00:16:30.480 The first one is this. 00:16:31.740 --> 00:16:36.219 Faithful elders are mindful of God's call. 00:16:37.199 --> 00:16:39.980 They are mindful of God's call. 00:16:40.059 --> 00:16:41.339 It's the first part of verse 2. 00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:44.620 Peter says, here's what you need to do, men. 00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:50.759 Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight. 00:16:51.659 --> 00:16:56.820 Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight. 00:16:57.299 --> 00:16:58.580 That's their call. 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:00.580 That's what they've been called to do. 00:17:01.139 --> 00:17:03.039 And they're mindful of that call. 00:17:04.140 --> 00:17:10.799 Now, I think there's a lot of Christians who get confused about the exact purpose of pastoral ministry. 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:20.539 And what that does is it leads men to aspire to something that isn't actually what God has intended the office to be. 00:17:21.619 --> 00:17:30.779 And not only that, it leads churches to evaluate men on the basis of something that God hasn't actually said to evaluate. 00:17:31.919 --> 00:17:33.460 And we get confused about it. 00:17:33.460 --> 00:17:37.660 And we set wrong expectations and we evaluate on the wrong criteria. 00:17:38.759 --> 00:17:40.900 Peter's exhortation helps us get it right. 00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:46.039 So if we're going to redefine this definition of what does a pastor do? 00:17:46.120 --> 00:17:46.880 What is a pastor? 00:17:46.980 --> 00:17:48.259 What is an elder in a church? 00:17:48.920 --> 00:17:49.940 I would say it this way. 00:17:49.940 --> 00:17:58.860 Elders are faithful men set apart by God through the congregation. 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:00.860 That's important. 00:18:00.980 --> 00:18:01.920 I'll come back to that in a second. 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:09.080 Set apart by God through the congregation to watch over the souls of the people under their care. 00:18:10.380 --> 00:18:12.920 Elders are faithful men, right? 00:18:13.120 --> 00:18:13.779 They're Christians. 00:18:14.460 --> 00:18:15.360 They're faithful. 00:18:15.900 --> 00:18:16.640 They're godly. 00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:22.740 They meet all the character qualifications that Paul outlines in Timothy and Titus. 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:23.620 They're faithful. 00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:34.100 They're set apart by God, meaning there is a calling that God puts on their life, but that calling is revealed through the ministry of the local church. 00:18:34.360 --> 00:18:37.860 In other words, an elder is not somebody who just tells you they're one. 00:18:39.240 --> 00:18:41.940 It's not somebody who just decides they're going to come into our church and say, 00:18:41.940 --> 00:18:47.640 Hey, I just want you to know God has called me to be an elder and you just need to receive that from me. 00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:49.360 No, that's not how this works, is it? 00:18:49.539 --> 00:18:53.180 We understand there's a congregational dynamic to this in God's design. 00:18:53.920 --> 00:19:03.279 God puts an internal call on their lives and then the congregation recognizes that call and actually calls them outwardly, externally, to serve in that way. 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:07.039 So they're faithful men set apart by God through the congregation to do what? 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:09.299 To care for our souls. 00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:14.200 To watch over the souls of God's people. 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:16.579 Now notice the language Peter is using here. 00:19:17.639 --> 00:19:18.519 They're shepherds. 00:19:19.899 --> 00:19:20.920 They're shepherds. 00:19:21.539 --> 00:19:22.700 It's a word picture, isn't it? 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:26.319 What do you think of when you think of a shepherd? 00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:28.840 Imagine a painting. 00:19:28.920 --> 00:19:33.759 If you're going to have a painting of a shepherd in your house, what would it look like? 00:19:34.819 --> 00:19:37.360 It's going to be around a lot of sheep probably outdoors. 00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:39.340 Maybe he's fulfilling a particular task. 00:19:39.420 --> 00:19:44.380 It's going to be a picture of care, of concern, of responsibility. 00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:49.340 But what exactly is it that shepherds care for? 00:19:49.339 --> 00:19:54.619 Shepherds don't care for primarily a business, do they? 00:19:56.199 --> 00:19:57.379 They care for sheep. 00:19:58.359 --> 00:19:59.519 They care for people. 00:20:01.419 --> 00:20:06.019 But then the sheep for which they care don't actually belong to them. 00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:09.339 It's not their possession, which means the flock isn't theirs, 00:20:10.039 --> 00:20:13.419 which means their responsibility isn't to do it just however they want to do it. 00:20:14.220 --> 00:20:16.039 It's God's flock, Peter says. 00:20:16.039 --> 00:20:24.039 God entrusts to these faithful men a portion of his flock. 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:26.639 Shepherd the flock that is among you. 00:20:26.700 --> 00:20:27.720 That's the local church. 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:32.519 God says, I'm going to call you, I'm going to equip you, 00:20:32.920 --> 00:20:38.240 and I'm going to trust you to take this group of people that belong to me 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:41.779 and care for them as mine. 00:20:41.779 --> 00:20:47.980 And how is it that they shepherd God's flock? 00:20:48.799 --> 00:20:50.579 Peter says, by giving oversight. 00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:59.099 Shepherd the flock of God by giving oversight, exercising oversight. 00:20:59.259 --> 00:21:00.319 And how do they do that? 00:21:01.539 --> 00:21:04.559 Shepherds literally watch over the sheep. 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:06.619 They feed them. 00:21:06.619 --> 00:21:10.579 They nurse their wounds. 00:21:11.779 --> 00:21:13.799 They lead them to good pasture. 00:21:14.939 --> 00:21:17.679 They protect them from predators. 00:21:18.699 --> 00:21:21.919 They might even have to protect them from each other. 00:21:23.219 --> 00:21:25.379 Protect them from themselves. 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:27.879 That's how they give oversight. 00:21:28.879 --> 00:21:30.979 They don't lord over their sheep. 00:21:31.319 --> 00:21:34.319 They watch over their sheep. 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:39.700 Now, this is important because this is where the confusion comes in so often, isn't it? 00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:48.099 Some men aspire to the office of elder because they see it primarily as a decision-making role, 00:21:48.599 --> 00:21:51.539 and they would like to have their voice heard. 00:21:52.220 --> 00:21:56.700 That may not necessarily be out of a place of pride, but maybe it's a place of competency, 00:21:56.919 --> 00:22:00.359 and they think, well, these are the people who make the decisions for the church. 00:22:00.460 --> 00:22:02.319 Therefore, I'd like to be a part of that. 00:22:02.319 --> 00:22:06.000 I think I've got some good things that could bring to the table. 00:22:06.500 --> 00:22:09.439 But that's not what shepherds are primarily responsible to do. 00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:11.460 It's a piece of it, but it's not the primary thing. 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:18.839 Many churches may even evaluate men based on their charisma or based on their business acumen 00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:24.619 because they think the office is fundamentally about organizational leadership and development. 00:22:25.299 --> 00:22:29.299 And there's no question that's a piece of it, but it's not the focus of it. 00:22:29.299 --> 00:22:36.839 If you think that the real work of eldering and the real work of pastoral ministry happens 00:22:36.839 --> 00:22:41.940 at the moment that those elders get together for their elders meeting and start to deliberate 00:22:41.940 --> 00:22:46.220 on whatever it is they need to deliberate, if you think that's where the real work of eldering happens, 00:22:46.399 --> 00:22:47.299 you've got it backwards. 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:49.919 That's not actually where it happens. 00:22:49.920 --> 00:22:55.140 The real work of pastoral ministry happens when they leave that meeting 00:22:55.140 --> 00:22:58.680 and they disperse themselves among the flock of God 00:22:58.680 --> 00:23:03.120 and they begin to exercise oversight in giving spiritual care 00:23:03.120 --> 00:23:07.500 and caring for the souls of the people that God has entrusted to them. 00:23:07.740 --> 00:23:08.860 That's the call. 00:23:09.940 --> 00:23:11.100 That's the focus. 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:13.500 That's what they do. 00:23:13.500 --> 00:23:18.920 God calls on elders to care for the souls of his people. 00:23:20.059 --> 00:23:24.720 Organizational leadership is a piece of it, but the call is to care for souls. 00:23:25.799 --> 00:23:35.539 And listen, church, we need men whose goal is not to build a business or govern an organization, 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:38.319 but to help us thrive in exile. 00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:40.460 Isn't that what this whole thing is about? 00:23:40.460 --> 00:23:43.039 It's about getting to heaven. 00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:46.180 It's about thriving on your way there. 00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:48.120 It's about remembering the gospel of Jesus. 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:52.600 It's about living a life that's holy before the Lord so that the Lord might bless us, 00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:56.880 so that we might remain faithful and not be in despair and discouraged. 00:23:57.140 --> 00:23:58.960 And God says, here, I'm going to give you a gift. 00:23:59.259 --> 00:24:01.360 I'm going to raise up some men in your congregation. 00:24:01.500 --> 00:24:05.039 And what their role is, is to walk with you and lead you to heaven. 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:08.460 It's to lead you to Jesus, the chief shepherd. 00:24:08.579 --> 00:24:09.259 That's what they do. 00:24:09.259 --> 00:24:11.680 We need men who want to do that. 00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:18.299 We need men who will take on that responsibility, who will shepherd our souls. 00:24:19.099 --> 00:24:23.920 And when we consider men for the task, the first thing on our minds doesn't need to be, 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:27.460 well, how good are they at their business work? 00:24:28.599 --> 00:24:32.779 Look, you can have a group of men that don't have a lot of qualifications in terms of business, 00:24:32.859 --> 00:24:35.140 and you know what they can do when it's time to make a business decision? 00:24:35.140 --> 00:24:40.340 Invite another member of the church who is good at it to come and give them counsel. 00:24:42.259 --> 00:24:43.220 Problem solved, right? 00:24:43.259 --> 00:24:44.300 That's not what we're looking for. 00:24:45.340 --> 00:24:47.520 When we're considering it, you know what you need to consider? 00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:56.940 Who can I trust to sit down and counsel with me when my marriage is falling apart? 00:24:56.940 --> 00:25:02.480 I don't need a businessman to help me then. 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:05.759 I need a pastor to help me then. 00:25:05.759 --> 00:25:15.400 I need somebody who's going to teach me the Bible, who's competent enough to help me understand it, 00:25:16.019 --> 00:25:19.960 who's competent enough to help me grow deeper in my discipleship, 00:25:20.059 --> 00:25:23.640 who's really their goal for my life is that I might love Jesus more, 00:25:24.059 --> 00:25:26.140 and that I might know his grace more. 00:25:26.140 --> 00:25:29.480 I want to look for men like that. 00:25:30.840 --> 00:25:34.280 We want to consider men who are going to encourage us in the gospel 00:25:34.280 --> 00:25:40.660 so that we don't despair in our suffering and be overwhelmed to the extent that we leave the faith. 00:25:41.940 --> 00:25:46.920 We want men who are going to feed us and protect us and watch over us. 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:51.500 Faithful elders understand that that's the task. 00:25:51.500 --> 00:26:00.220 Faithful elders understand the call, and they're mindful to fulfill it for the glory of God and for the good of his people. 00:26:01.339 --> 00:26:06.019 There's a second quality here, and we'll get faster through it, but there's a second quality here. 00:26:07.359 --> 00:26:10.000 Faithful elders have a heart for the work. 00:26:11.079 --> 00:26:12.680 They have a heart for the work. 00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:15.859 Now, go back to verses 2 and 3. 00:26:16.779 --> 00:26:20.259 Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight. 00:26:20.259 --> 00:26:27.000 And then he gives us three more of these contrasting negations, or not this, but that statements. 00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:28.720 Right? Do you see it there? 00:26:29.359 --> 00:26:32.079 Not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you. 00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:34.480 Not for shameful gain, but eagerly. 00:26:35.019 --> 00:26:40.220 Not dominating those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:44.039 Faithful elders, this is all about a description of having a heart for ministry. 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:46.140 It's having a heart for God's people. 00:26:46.140 --> 00:26:53.040 Faithful elders have a heart to do the work despite the many difficulties and sacrifices that it demands. 00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:59.759 And it does come with a measure of difficulty and hardship, and it does require a level of sacrifice in order to do it well. 00:27:00.300 --> 00:27:03.000 Let's just walk through these three statements. 00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:06.500 Faithful elders fill the office willingly. 00:27:07.780 --> 00:27:08.300 Willingly. 00:27:08.820 --> 00:27:10.020 Not under compulsion. 00:27:10.019 --> 00:27:18.579 Those who serve as elders, in other words, must not do so merely out of a sense of duty. 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:21.279 That's certainly a part of it. 00:27:21.379 --> 00:27:23.720 It's not wrong to want to fulfill your duty well. 00:27:24.279 --> 00:27:26.680 But that can't be the basis of why they serve. 00:27:26.779 --> 00:27:27.839 It's not about duty. 00:27:28.839 --> 00:27:32.720 But with a willing heart that actually loves God's people. 00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:34.720 And here's the thing. 00:27:34.799 --> 00:27:41.539 There may be men in our church, throughout our church's life, who meet all the qualifications for eldership. 00:27:41.640 --> 00:27:42.460 They've got the character. 00:27:43.660 --> 00:27:49.000 And perhaps they have all the gifts that we think would be useful for serving the church well. 00:27:49.819 --> 00:27:55.980 But if they don't desire the work, they will not ultimately serve the church well. 00:27:56.920 --> 00:27:58.339 They won't be good elders. 00:27:59.120 --> 00:28:00.640 They won't be good pastors. 00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:00.860 They won't be good pastors. 00:28:02.420 --> 00:28:08.900 That's why Paul says to Timothy, whoever desires the office of overseer, desires a noble task. 00:28:08.980 --> 00:28:10.560 That's a noble thing to desire. 00:28:11.300 --> 00:28:14.940 In other words, that desire is essential for the office. 00:28:16.900 --> 00:28:24.980 It would be better to call a faithful man with a willing heart whose gifts are still developing 00:28:24.980 --> 00:28:31.160 than a gifted man who must be coerced to do it. 00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:36.519 This is not the kind of role that you want to strong-arm somebody into doing. 00:28:37.299 --> 00:28:43.900 Because when the task becomes a burden, and it always becomes a burden at some point, 00:28:43.900 --> 00:28:53.820 you want men who are willing to press on for your good because their heart is to serve God's people well. 00:28:55.500 --> 00:28:57.340 Second, he says, 00:28:57.339 --> 00:29:09.259 Not for shameful gain, he says, but eagerly. 00:29:09.439 --> 00:29:11.259 Do you see the difference in the contrast there? 00:29:11.919 --> 00:29:13.139 Not for shameful gain. 00:29:13.379 --> 00:29:15.619 Notice he's not saying that gain is a problem. 00:29:15.619 --> 00:29:22.539 It's a shameful gain set against an eagerness simply to do the work. 00:29:23.099 --> 00:29:27.319 There are places where the scriptures commend and urge churches to honor their leaders 00:29:27.319 --> 00:29:30.059 and provide for their needs as they're able. 00:29:30.059 --> 00:29:37.479 What Peter condemns is using the office of elder as a means of personal gain 00:29:37.479 --> 00:29:41.939 rather than out of an eagerness to really just care for God's people. 00:29:42.419 --> 00:29:45.359 That personal gain may look like a lot of different things. 00:29:45.619 --> 00:29:47.159 And Peter says, that's not the purpose here. 00:29:47.500 --> 00:29:48.859 Don't do it for that reason. 00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:51.519 Do it because you just love the church. 00:29:51.819 --> 00:29:53.019 And then the third thing, he says, 00:29:53.019 --> 00:29:58.259 Faithful elders have a heart to lead rather than to drive. 00:29:59.579 --> 00:30:00.539 You see the last thing. 00:30:01.679 --> 00:30:03.399 Don't domineer over them. 00:30:04.859 --> 00:30:09.839 My job in this church is not to tell you what to do. 00:30:11.379 --> 00:30:14.500 Not in the sense of being an authoritarian in your life. 00:30:14.500 --> 00:30:15.819 That's not my job. 00:30:16.019 --> 00:30:16.980 That's not my place. 00:30:17.880 --> 00:30:18.259 Counsel? 00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:19.400 Yes. 00:30:19.960 --> 00:30:20.440 Exhort? 00:30:21.099 --> 00:30:21.519 Yes. 00:30:22.259 --> 00:30:23.539 Correct when necessary? 00:30:24.019 --> 00:30:24.500 Absolutely. 00:30:25.019 --> 00:30:26.680 But it's not to govern your life. 00:30:26.880 --> 00:30:27.859 That's not my job. 00:30:28.420 --> 00:30:29.400 I wouldn't do it well. 00:30:29.400 --> 00:30:33.680 It's not any elder's job. 00:30:34.780 --> 00:30:35.740 What's our job? 00:30:36.580 --> 00:30:38.380 It's to lead from the front, isn't it? 00:30:39.420 --> 00:30:45.040 It's to be an example of faithfulness and then encourage the church to follow that lead. 00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:51.279 I heard Herschel York tell a story recently about a trip when he had gone to Israel. 00:30:52.440 --> 00:31:00.059 He was seeing all the sights and they were traveling from place to place one day and he noticed a man that was driving some sheep in a particular place. 00:31:00.259 --> 00:31:03.339 And he thought it was interesting the way the man was going about it. 00:31:03.339 --> 00:31:14.359 And he said he had two long rods and basically he was behind the sheep, however many it was, and he was using these rods to kind of corral them and push them forward into the direction that he wanted them to go. 00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:16.220 And he was failing miserably at it. 00:31:16.279 --> 00:31:17.519 Like they weren't listening. 00:31:17.659 --> 00:31:18.980 They weren't doing what he wanted. 00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:20.819 And he thought that this was odd. 00:31:20.859 --> 00:31:22.179 So he asked his tour guide about it. 00:31:22.319 --> 00:31:25.199 He said, why is that shepherd doing it like that? 00:31:25.379 --> 00:31:26.439 What's happening there? 00:31:26.440 --> 00:31:28.600 And the tour guide said, oh, that's not a shepherd. 00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:33.279 He said a shepherd would never actually lead the sheep that way. 00:31:33.420 --> 00:31:34.420 He said, that's the butcher. 00:31:35.680 --> 00:31:37.400 Butcher's taking them to the slaughterhouse. 00:31:38.140 --> 00:31:40.200 There's a difference in those two things, isn't there? 00:31:41.299 --> 00:31:43.840 There are a lot of guys, they're qualified well. 00:31:43.920 --> 00:31:45.180 They got some good things about them. 00:31:45.240 --> 00:31:49.240 Maybe they have a strong form of leadership that's effective in certain environments. 00:31:49.460 --> 00:31:54.259 But when you come in and you're just trying to drive people, you're trying to lord over them, 00:31:54.259 --> 00:31:57.099 you're not going to be very effective in your ministry, are you? 00:31:57.460 --> 00:31:58.559 Faithful elders aren't like that. 00:31:58.619 --> 00:32:00.819 One of their qualities is that they lead from the front. 00:32:00.879 --> 00:32:03.000 In other words, they say, watch what I do. 00:32:03.759 --> 00:32:04.660 Now you do it. 00:32:05.180 --> 00:32:05.259 Right? 00:32:06.140 --> 00:32:07.619 Watch how I love my wife. 00:32:08.559 --> 00:32:10.059 Now you love your wife that way. 00:32:10.720 --> 00:32:14.400 Watch how I care for my kids and teach them and discipline them and nurture them. 00:32:14.700 --> 00:32:15.460 Now you do it. 00:32:15.640 --> 00:32:16.819 Watch how I read my Bible. 00:32:17.099 --> 00:32:17.720 Now you do it. 00:32:17.980 --> 00:32:20.660 Watch how I evangelize to lost people. 00:32:20.920 --> 00:32:21.839 Now you do it. 00:32:21.940 --> 00:32:23.119 That's what shepherding is. 00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:25.279 That's the quality that we're looking for. 00:32:25.379 --> 00:32:28.000 So faithful elders have a heart for the work. 00:32:29.439 --> 00:32:34.719 Third, faithful elders are motivated by God's reward. 00:32:35.659 --> 00:32:37.699 They're motivated by God's reward. 00:32:37.799 --> 00:32:38.719 This is verse 4, isn't it? 00:32:40.979 --> 00:32:44.599 And when the chief shepherd appears, of course, who is that? 00:32:45.319 --> 00:32:46.699 It's the Lord Jesus, isn't it? 00:32:46.700 --> 00:32:54.799 When the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 00:32:54.799 --> 00:32:59.240 Now remember, what are elders? 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:04.940 They're just faithful sheep who have been given a unique responsibility in the church. 00:33:04.940 --> 00:33:11.460 The fact is that they suffer and struggle in all the same ways that every other Christian does. 00:33:11.580 --> 00:33:13.180 They are also in exile. 00:33:14.220 --> 00:33:17.820 And they deal with all the issues of exile like everyone else. 00:33:17.819 --> 00:33:26.399 In some cases, the ire of the world may be aimed specifically at them just because of the role that they have in the congregation. 00:33:26.839 --> 00:33:28.099 So what is Peter doing here? 00:33:28.460 --> 00:33:29.859 He's encouraging them. 00:33:30.819 --> 00:33:36.799 He's bringing comfort to them by reminding them first that they too have a shepherd. 00:33:36.799 --> 00:33:47.159 The chief shepherd who is watching over their souls, who's caring for their souls, who is soon to return in all his glory. 00:33:47.599 --> 00:33:52.740 And when he returns, it's the same promise that he's been going over time and time again in this letter. 00:33:53.059 --> 00:33:56.480 When he returns, the chief shepherd, you will receive your reward. 00:33:57.039 --> 00:33:58.220 And what is this reward? 00:33:59.200 --> 00:34:03.139 It's not something different for pastors than it is for everyone else. 00:34:03.139 --> 00:34:04.379 It's actually the same. 00:34:04.380 --> 00:34:08.200 It's the same reward he's been encouraging us throughout the letter. 00:34:09.420 --> 00:34:11.760 Their motivation to persevere in the faith. 00:34:12.160 --> 00:34:18.559 Their motivation to persevere in obedience relative to their call, fulfilling the task in faithfulness. 00:34:18.860 --> 00:34:21.860 What should motivate them is not shameful gain. 00:34:22.400 --> 00:34:25.680 What should motivate them is not power to lord over people. 00:34:26.119 --> 00:34:31.000 What should motivate them is not the pride that comes along with a sense of duty and fulfillment of that duty. 00:34:31.000 --> 00:34:34.260 What should motivate them is the fact that Jesus is coming back. 00:34:34.420 --> 00:34:41.360 And when he comes back, they get to be with him and they get to live in his glory and share in his glory. 00:34:41.539 --> 00:34:45.260 It's the same as in the previous text at the end of chapter four. 00:34:47.940 --> 00:34:54.320 The coming glory that will be experienced at the revelation of Jesus Christ is the thing that should push them forward. 00:34:54.320 --> 00:35:05.980 In other words, whatever role God gives you in this world and among his people, the motivation to trust him and to keep doing good remains the same. 00:35:06.640 --> 00:35:14.500 And for pastors, that means persevering in the work that they've been called to do, even when it's hard. 00:35:14.880 --> 00:35:18.600 And even when it contributes perhaps maybe even to more suffering. 00:35:18.599 --> 00:35:22.139 So that's the qualities of faithful elders. 00:35:22.779 --> 00:35:23.360 You with me? 00:35:24.159 --> 00:35:25.159 Let's do the final thing. 00:35:26.119 --> 00:35:29.059 He moves here in verse five to the qualities of a healthy church. 00:35:30.619 --> 00:35:32.039 The qualities of a healthy church. 00:35:32.139 --> 00:35:39.639 Now, he doesn't leave the discussion before he addresses the relationship between the elders and the people for whom they care. 00:35:40.819 --> 00:35:45.679 In verse five, he turns his attention away from the elders now back to the congregation. 00:35:46.719 --> 00:35:47.539 Let's read it. 00:35:48.599 --> 00:35:54.039 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. 00:35:55.559 --> 00:36:02.299 Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another. 00:36:03.079 --> 00:36:03.799 Why, Peter? 00:36:04.420 --> 00:36:06.819 He quotes a proverb here, Proverbs 30. 00:36:07.259 --> 00:36:12.019 For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 00:36:13.440 --> 00:36:14.739 Two things stick out here. 00:36:14.739 --> 00:36:17.699 What are the qualities of a healthy church collectively now? 00:36:18.599 --> 00:36:23.159 Well, number one, healthy churches follow those whom they call to lead. 00:36:24.119 --> 00:36:27.039 They follow those that they call to lead. 00:36:27.099 --> 00:36:30.440 Now, that sounds like it should be pretty straightforward, right? 00:36:30.900 --> 00:36:33.279 It's amazing how many times it doesn't happen in churches. 00:36:33.280 --> 00:36:36.960 Now, let's think about this first phrase. 00:36:37.060 --> 00:36:41.140 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. 00:36:42.060 --> 00:36:45.700 There's various options for who Peter might be addressing with this word younger. 00:36:46.519 --> 00:36:49.860 It could be that he's addressing those who are younger in the faith. 00:36:50.100 --> 00:36:59.300 It could even be that he's addressing those who are younger in age because of a particular proclivity we have in our youth to have a little extra pride. 00:36:59.300 --> 00:37:01.200 It could be one of those options. 00:37:01.580 --> 00:37:02.820 But I don't think that's it. 00:37:02.920 --> 00:37:07.920 I think most likely he's using younger here just simply as a contrast to the term elder. 00:37:07.920 --> 00:37:14.680 In other words, if elders is what we call those who fill the office of pastor in the church, 00:37:14.900 --> 00:37:19.099 then younger would be those who do not fill the office of pastor in the church, 00:37:19.139 --> 00:37:22.700 at least in the way he's using his language here. 00:37:23.639 --> 00:37:27.460 And his instruction is that they be subject to the elders, 00:37:27.940 --> 00:37:31.320 which is a word we've grown accustomed to in this letter, isn't it? 00:37:31.320 --> 00:37:36.059 Remember what he said back in chapter 3, chapters 2 and 3. 00:37:37.180 --> 00:37:40.700 Christian citizens are to be subject to their rulers, right? 00:37:41.420 --> 00:37:45.559 Christian slaves, he said, are to be subject to their masters under the Lord. 00:37:46.380 --> 00:37:48.580 Christian wives are to be subject to their husbands. 00:37:48.680 --> 00:37:52.300 He's dealing with authority and submission here in all the rightful ways, right? 00:37:52.320 --> 00:37:54.780 Not in abusive ways, but in all the rightful ways. 00:37:54.820 --> 00:37:56.720 And he brings that same terminology here. 00:37:57.019 --> 00:37:57.420 Why? 00:37:57.420 --> 00:38:02.400 He's just speaking of the relationship of authority and submission in the local church. 00:38:02.559 --> 00:38:05.700 And the essence of the exhortation is this. 00:38:07.579 --> 00:38:12.880 Healthy congregations not only recognize and call faithful men to serve, 00:38:13.880 --> 00:38:19.260 but they willingly and joyfully follow the men that they call. 00:38:21.000 --> 00:38:22.260 Do you see how that works? 00:38:22.260 --> 00:38:27.780 In so far as your elders do not lead away from God's truth, 00:38:28.300 --> 00:38:33.140 the responsibility of the congregation is to submit to their authority. 00:38:34.840 --> 00:38:36.480 Listen to their counsel. 00:38:38.560 --> 00:38:39.980 Follow their teaching. 00:38:41.740 --> 00:38:43.140 Trust their leadership. 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:52.040 Not blindly, but in so far as it aligns with what the Bible teaches Christians to be and elders to be. 00:38:52.980 --> 00:38:55.460 We get this instruction in Hebrews as well, don't we? 00:38:55.500 --> 00:38:57.820 The writer of Hebrews in chapter 13 says, 00:38:58.080 --> 00:38:59.140 To remember your leaders. 00:39:00.140 --> 00:39:01.800 Those who spoke to you the word of God. 00:39:01.980 --> 00:39:05.060 Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate them. 00:39:05.580 --> 00:39:06.120 Follow them. 00:39:07.040 --> 00:39:07.800 Listen to them. 00:39:08.940 --> 00:39:09.620 He continues. 00:39:09.780 --> 00:39:11.900 Obey your leaders and submit to them. 00:39:12.120 --> 00:39:12.460 Why? 00:39:12.460 --> 00:39:14.700 Because they're keeping watch over your souls. 00:39:14.699 --> 00:39:22.659 As those who will give an account to the Lord and let them do this with joy and not with groaning, 00:39:22.819 --> 00:39:24.399 for that would be of no advantage to you. 00:39:25.879 --> 00:39:29.059 How would an elder serve without joy and groaning? 00:39:29.159 --> 00:39:30.159 Well, there could be a lot of reasons, 00:39:30.259 --> 00:39:33.879 but in relationship to his relationship to the church, 00:39:34.519 --> 00:39:36.099 it would be a joyless task. 00:39:36.099 --> 00:39:40.039 If a church called you, but didn't trust you. 00:39:41.400 --> 00:39:43.920 Called you, but wouldn't listen to you. 00:39:44.860 --> 00:39:48.039 Called you, but won't follow your teaching. 00:39:48.619 --> 00:39:50.119 What do healthy churches do? 00:39:50.119 --> 00:39:52.159 They recognize faithful men. 00:39:53.119 --> 00:39:55.739 They call them to serve, and then they say, 00:39:56.480 --> 00:39:57.259 Now we'll follow you. 00:39:58.099 --> 00:40:01.480 As long as you're leading us to Jesus, we're going to follow you. 00:40:02.519 --> 00:40:03.259 Second thing. 00:40:04.279 --> 00:40:08.420 Healthy churches clothe themselves in humility before God. 00:40:10.380 --> 00:40:11.900 This is how they follow, right? 00:40:12.579 --> 00:40:14.359 This is also how elders lead. 00:40:15.579 --> 00:40:19.719 From the top down, healthy churches are clothed in humility. 00:40:20.779 --> 00:40:28.980 It takes humility for elders to lead with willingness and eagerness and without domination. 00:40:30.179 --> 00:40:33.759 It takes humility not to insist upon your own way, 00:40:33.880 --> 00:40:40.099 but to work well with other faithful elders as together you shepherd the church of God. 00:40:40.719 --> 00:40:48.239 It takes humility for congregations to trust and to follow fallible men 00:40:48.239 --> 00:40:54.379 who are not perfect and not are equally gifted in every way 00:40:54.379 --> 00:40:58.919 and sometimes do things that have negative consequences, right? 00:40:59.059 --> 00:41:00.899 It takes humility to follow those men. 00:41:00.979 --> 00:41:03.539 It takes humility to trust people. 00:41:03.539 --> 00:41:13.440 But without humility, the church cannot survive, let alone thrive in exile. 00:41:13.960 --> 00:41:14.539 Why? 00:41:15.159 --> 00:41:16.079 Peter tells us. 00:41:16.079 --> 00:41:25.639 Because God sets his face against the proud, but he pours out his grace on the humble. 00:41:25.639 --> 00:41:33.400 You know, what our greatest enemy in our church will be is not financial hardship. 00:41:35.500 --> 00:41:37.539 It won't be the sexual revolution. 00:41:37.539 --> 00:41:46.219 It won't be the growth and issues that are going to come along with artificial intelligence. 00:41:47.219 --> 00:41:48.400 It won't be war. 00:41:49.539 --> 00:41:51.039 All those things will be problems. 00:41:51.559 --> 00:41:52.639 That won't be the greatest enemy. 00:41:53.199 --> 00:41:55.619 The greatest enemy for our church will be pride. 00:41:55.619 --> 00:42:01.500 Because when we start to exist in pride, that's when God turns his face away. 00:42:04.659 --> 00:42:06.759 That's when we get the opposition of God. 00:42:08.319 --> 00:42:10.179 And I don't want the opposition of God. 00:42:11.299 --> 00:42:12.400 I want to please the Lord. 00:42:13.799 --> 00:42:16.539 I want to glorify the Lord in our church. 00:42:17.299 --> 00:42:18.259 And I know you do too. 00:42:19.059 --> 00:42:20.500 How will our church thrive then? 00:42:20.500 --> 00:42:23.460 By wrapping ourselves in humility. 00:42:23.900 --> 00:42:25.340 The way that we live with one another. 00:42:25.800 --> 00:42:27.159 And the way that we relate to our leaders. 00:42:27.300 --> 00:42:28.840 And the way that our leaders relate to us. 00:42:29.300 --> 00:42:30.039 Now let's finish it up. 00:42:31.380 --> 00:42:34.739 Remember, what is the overall aim of the end of this letter? 00:42:35.639 --> 00:42:36.820 It's perseverance, isn't it? 00:42:37.900 --> 00:42:39.880 He's teaching us how to get to the end. 00:42:41.199 --> 00:42:44.019 But perseverance, we understand, is a community project. 00:42:46.480 --> 00:42:49.780 We need the community of the local church to help us endure to the end. 00:42:49.780 --> 00:42:54.260 And one of God's good gifts to his people is faithful elders. 00:42:55.160 --> 00:42:58.019 Who understand their call and serve with a willing heart. 00:42:58.160 --> 00:43:00.300 And live for the glory that is to come. 00:43:01.040 --> 00:43:08.120 Another of God's good gifts is a healthy congregation that identifies faithful men. 00:43:08.700 --> 00:43:10.760 And then joyfully follows their lead. 00:43:11.480 --> 00:43:12.780 So what does that mean for us? 00:43:12.780 --> 00:43:21.260 It means we need men who will aspire to the task and see it as an honorable calling. 00:43:22.000 --> 00:43:23.280 An honorable task. 00:43:24.280 --> 00:43:27.400 Men who will follow in the steps of the chief shepherd. 00:43:27.660 --> 00:43:32.600 Who loves his church and laid down his life for his sheep. 00:43:32.800 --> 00:43:36.060 We need those kind of men leading our church. 00:43:36.059 --> 00:43:40.000 Who would give themselves for our church. 00:43:42.279 --> 00:43:48.639 Even if they never fill the office themselves, we need men who pursue a life that is worthy of the office. 00:43:49.380 --> 00:43:51.259 Even if they're never called to do it. 00:43:52.299 --> 00:43:57.179 And it means that as a congregation, we need to recognize such men. 00:43:57.179 --> 00:44:03.019 If I understand the Bible correctly, they are gifts from God. 00:44:03.239 --> 00:44:05.799 And he gifts them to all his churches. 00:44:06.059 --> 00:44:08.799 Which means our job is to recognize that. 00:44:09.940 --> 00:44:10.960 Recognize them. 00:44:11.799 --> 00:44:15.440 And then encourage them to pursue it. 00:44:15.679 --> 00:44:18.839 And then train them to do it well. 00:44:19.399 --> 00:44:23.079 And then call them to fill the office. 00:44:23.079 --> 00:44:30.039 And then after we've done all of that, we need to say, now we trust you. 00:44:30.799 --> 00:44:32.960 And we're going to follow where you lead us. 00:44:33.860 --> 00:44:38.000 And we're going to trust you to care for our souls and lead us to heaven. 00:44:38.539 --> 00:44:39.739 And lead us to Jesus. 00:44:40.799 --> 00:44:45.319 Keeping his gospel ever before us as we await his return.