WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.940 Well, good morning, church. Happy Mother's Day. Our sermon text today comes from the book of 00:00:05.940 --> 00:00:11.880 1 Peter. We've been in 1 Peter for a few months now, and today we're looking together at chapter 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:19.679 5, verses 1 through 7. That's page 955 in the Pew Bible. We'll have it on the screens when I read 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:22.580 it here in just a second, but if you want to follow along during the course of the sermon, 00:00:23.219 --> 00:00:28.679 let me encourage you to turn there. You'll also notice that we have the baptismal set up, 00:00:28.679 --> 00:00:35.399 and in service at 11 o'clock, we're going to be celebrating baptism. So, you've all missed it. 00:00:35.780 --> 00:00:42.799 What can I say? The early bird did not get the worm this Sunday. No, it will be on. We're going to 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:47.920 record it, and then we're going to post it and send it out. So, keep an eye out for that so you can hear 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:52.620 James Cromer's testimony and celebrate baptism with him, and then if you see him next Sunday, 00:00:52.620 --> 00:00:58.399 you can just celebrate the public profession of faith that he's made. Let me pray for us then 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:09.759 as we come to God's Word together. King of love, our good shepherd, thank you for laying down your 00:01:09.759 --> 00:01:17.480 life for us sheep. Lord, how often have we gone astray, and yet your goodness and mercy have followed 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:24.300 us all the days of our life, and they will follow us all the days of our life until we see you again 00:01:24.300 --> 00:01:31.380 in glory. Good shepherd Jesus, thank you for continuing to shepherd us and teach us and guide 00:01:31.380 --> 00:01:36.020 us through your Word. So, as we come to your Word this morning, would you continue to do that? 00:01:37.180 --> 00:01:42.400 Would we see this not merely as the words of the Apostle Peter, but your words, 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:49.980 continuing today through your Spirit to comfort us, teach us, and guide us. Open our hearts to 00:01:49.980 --> 00:01:57.340 your guiding today, Jesus, we pray. Amen. All right, let me read for us 1 Peter chapter 5, 00:01:57.440 --> 00:01:58.500 verses 1 through 7. 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:05.700 So, I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, 00:02:06.180 --> 00:02:08.719 as well as a partaker in the glory that's going to be revealed. 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:16.039 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, 00:02:16.159 --> 00:02:22.500 but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over 00:02:22.500 --> 00:02:27.960 those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, 00:02:28.060 --> 00:02:35.219 you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. 00:02:35.219 --> 00:02:41.340 clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, 00:02:41.479 --> 00:02:47.079 but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:55.620 so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you. 00:02:55.620 --> 00:03:06.000 Well, in our text this morning, Peter gives us three exhortations, three exhortations for a church 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:13.300 under pressure. Notice that little word, so, at the beginning of verse 1. That word, so, 00:03:13.460 --> 00:03:17.080 connects our passage that we just read to what Peter said in the previous verses. 00:03:17.080 --> 00:03:24.340 And in chapter 4, verses 12 through 19, the church is being encouraged there to stay joyful and to 00:03:24.340 --> 00:03:31.640 stay resilient in the face of very real trials and persecution. So, the church is under pressure from 00:03:31.640 --> 00:03:40.140 without. So, Peter says, so, in light of that pressure, here's what I want you to do. And then 00:03:40.140 --> 00:03:46.100 he gives three exhortations for a church under pressure. Now, Peter has spent a lot of time in this 00:03:46.099 --> 00:03:52.439 letter instructing the church on how we should interact with those outside the church. The big 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:58.060 middle section of this letter that starts in chapter 2, verse 11, and goes all the way to chapter 4, 00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:03.959 verse 11, was largely concerned with just that, how we relate to those outside the church. But now, 00:04:05.019 --> 00:04:11.819 Peter turns to how we relate to each other. Because Peter knows that when pressure comes, 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:15.780 it's not just our relationships outside the church that get difficult. 00:04:16.100 --> 00:04:21.980 It's our relationships inside the church that get difficult, too. When it feels like the world 00:04:21.980 --> 00:04:29.060 is against us, we can so easily start to turn against each other. Now, many, many churches are 00:04:29.060 --> 00:04:34.640 experiencing, sadly, tragically, this dynamic right now. Many churches are being torn apart by 00:04:34.640 --> 00:04:41.820 disagreements and strife about any number of external pressures, whether it be the pressure of how to 00:04:41.819 --> 00:04:48.259 navigate political life or how to respond to issues of race or gender and sexuality. The pressures are 00:04:48.259 --> 00:04:59.019 real. And when the pressure comes, we need to be reminded how to do life together. It's easy to lose our 00:04:59.019 --> 00:05:07.699 way. It's easy to turn against each other rather than toward each other in love. So let's listen, 00:05:07.699 --> 00:05:14.379 then, to what the Apostle Peter has to say to us as we face our own external pressures. And let's learn 00:05:14.379 --> 00:05:20.039 together again how we can be the church, a church that isn't against one another but for one another. 00:05:21.980 --> 00:05:28.219 So let's look at the first exhortation here. In verses 1 through 4, Peter directs his first 00:05:28.219 --> 00:05:34.500 exhortation to the elders. And Peter is going to exhort the elders what to do, how to do it, 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:40.680 and why to do it. But first, let's take a quick step back and ask who? Who exactly are these elders 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:47.660 that Peter is talking about? Well, as we think about that question, consider this passage from Acts 14, 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:54.480 verses 21 through 23. Luke in Acts 14 is describing the end of Paul's first missionary journey. 00:05:55.259 --> 00:05:59.540 And then Luke writes, when Paul and Barnabas had preached the gospel to that city, that is Derbe, 00:05:59.540 --> 00:06:04.780 one of the cities in that first journey. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made 00:06:04.780 --> 00:06:11.460 many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the souls of 00:06:11.460 --> 00:06:17.660 the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we 00:06:17.660 --> 00:06:23.920 must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:31.000 with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. So here's a little 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:37.780 snippet from the early days of the church. Now, who are the elders? Well, they aren't simply the kind 00:06:37.780 --> 00:06:43.460 of older members of the congregation, right? Rather, what we see in this passage is that in each local 00:06:43.460 --> 00:06:50.879 church, the apostles appointed a handful of godly men who would take responsibility for the spiritual 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:58.040 health of the congregation. The New Testament uses a number of terms for this role or this office of 00:06:58.040 --> 00:07:06.259 elder. In Acts 20, for example, Paul gathers the elders from the church in Ephesus. But in that passage, 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:11.199 Paul calls them not just elders, but he mentions that they're overseers, and he tells them to shepherd 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:18.480 or to pastor the church. We see those same three terms used in our passage as well. Speaking to the 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:24.280 elders, Peter says that they should shepherd, that is, pastor the church, and they should exercise 00:07:24.280 --> 00:07:33.020 oversight. So the words elder, overseer, and pastor are all used interchangeably in the New Testament 00:07:33.020 --> 00:07:40.200 to describe the same office, the same role. Now, we see the qualifications for this office, 00:07:40.300 --> 00:07:46.740 for this role in 1 Timothy and Titus. Above all, godly, Christ-like character is paramount. 00:07:46.740 --> 00:07:52.100 And elders must also have a deep grasp of the faith, once for all delivered to the saints, 00:07:52.360 --> 00:07:56.620 as well as an ability to teach and to protect the doctrine and life of the church. 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:03.920 So these are the elders, the overseers, the pastors. Now, here at Trinity, we currently have six elders, 00:08:04.460 --> 00:08:12.939 two of whom are me and Pastor Matt. But that title, pastor, for me and for Matt, that doesn't mean 00:08:12.939 --> 00:08:20.079 that we're any different biblically or theologically from the other elders. Matt and I do the work of 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:26.040 eldering, as it were. We do the work of eldering as our full-time vocation. And here at Trinity, 00:08:26.040 --> 00:08:32.320 we happen to give the title of pastor to our full-time elders. But you know, Jeff Stevens and Tom 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:41.019 Schmidt and John Hinkson and Tyler Dueno are equally elders, overseers, pastors. We occupy the same office 00:08:41.019 --> 00:08:49.139 with the same call and the same responsibility. Now, what is the exhortation to elders here in 1 Peter? 00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:55.360 Well, we see it in verse 2. Peter says, shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising 00:08:55.360 --> 00:09:04.659 oversight. I think that's really important because the call of an elder in a local church is not to serve 00:09:04.659 --> 00:09:12.459 sort of as the executive board of an organization, right, to maybe just sort of be the kind of decision 00:09:12.459 --> 00:09:20.839 makers far off who kind of, you know, kind of run the organization in that level. No. The call of an 00:09:20.839 --> 00:09:30.259 elder is to shepherd, to come alongside people, to love them, to get to know them, to care for them, 00:09:30.259 --> 00:09:35.620 to encourage them, to teach them, to equip them for the work of ministry, and yes, even to correct at 00:09:35.620 --> 00:09:43.279 times. In other words, if elders are serving as they should, if they are shepherding, then a godly elder 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:51.559 should smell like sheep. This is especially important when a church is facing pressure. 00:09:53.139 --> 00:09:59.779 In those moments, what the church needs is the loving care and leadership of the shepherds. 00:10:00.620 --> 00:10:06.419 Shepherds, elders, overseers who understand that the church doesn't belong to them, but it belongs to God. 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:12.840 As Peter says, this is the flock of God. It doesn't belong to any of us. It is God's church. 00:10:16.360 --> 00:10:19.600 Now, in light of that, how should they go about this work, according to Peter? 00:10:20.179 --> 00:10:25.639 Well, Peter gives three contrasts in verses 2 through 3 about how elders should go about this work. 00:10:25.639 --> 00:10:33.639 First, he says, not under compulsion, but willingly. In other words, elders should not serve only because 00:10:33.639 --> 00:10:40.939 of external pressure, of external sort of obligation. They should have an internal desire 00:10:40.940 --> 00:10:48.480 to want to love God's people and serve them and lead them. God doesn't want reluctant shepherds. 00:10:49.680 --> 00:10:54.920 The pressures are too hard and the stakes are too high. He wants willing shepherds. 00:10:54.919 --> 00:11:01.699 But they need to want it for the right reasons. Notice Peter's second contrast. He says, 00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:07.179 not for shameful gain, but eagerly. Now, when Peter says not for shameful gain, 00:11:07.479 --> 00:11:10.939 the kind of immediate referent there is that elders shouldn't want to serve 00:11:10.940 --> 00:11:17.880 because they'll get a financial reward for doing so. You can't serve God and money, Jesus said. 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:24.800 But, you know, money isn't the only gain a potential elder might wrongfully desire. 00:11:26.420 --> 00:11:29.860 Maybe there's a motivation to be seen as godly, 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:35.040 or the motivation to have more control in the life of the church, 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:44.259 or the motivation to put one's learning on display. All of these and more are selfish reasons 00:11:44.259 --> 00:11:52.659 to aspire to this office. Instead, elders should be eager to serve, eager to do it not for any kind 00:11:52.659 --> 00:11:59.019 of worldly gain or reputation, but eager to do it for Christ's sake and for others' sake. 00:12:00.539 --> 00:12:04.939 Out of love for the church, the church that Christ shed His own blood to redeem, 00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:11.539 so elders should shepherd willingly, and elders should shepherd eagerly. Third, how should elders 00:12:11.539 --> 00:12:17.879 shepherd? In verse 3, Peter says, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to 00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:26.039 the flock. Now, here Peter strikes at the heart of our faulty and worldly notions of authority 00:12:26.039 --> 00:12:34.480 and leadership. Authority, after all, is a good thing if used in the right way. But how are we to use it? 00:12:35.039 --> 00:12:40.919 Peter strikes at the heart of our kind of broken and fallen notions of authority and leadership, 00:12:40.919 --> 00:12:48.120 and in doing so, He's doing so alive. And Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, 00:12:48.719 --> 00:12:53.079 You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, 00:12:53.159 --> 00:12:59.599 and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. 00:13:00.479 --> 00:13:06.519 But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must 00:13:06.519 --> 00:13:14.480 be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:23.939 for many. So, in the kingdom of God, how is rank or authority or position meant to be expressed and used? 00:13:25.439 --> 00:13:31.939 It's meant to be used to serve, and not just serve, but serve sacrificially. 00:13:31.940 --> 00:13:38.580 You see, leaders in God's church are first and foremost followers of Jesus. 00:13:39.860 --> 00:13:44.380 They're worthy of imitation because of how they follow the Lord Jesus. And so, 00:13:44.540 --> 00:13:52.760 how do elders lead? How do they shepherd? Not by domineering. No, but by being examples to the flock. 00:13:52.759 --> 00:14:01.659 And that's why character, Christ-like character, tops the list of qualifications for the office of 00:14:01.659 --> 00:14:06.600 elder. Yes, they need to be able to teach, but ultimately, it's not great preaching gifts or 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:11.759 eloquence or organizational skills that the church needs. God can use all of those things, yes. But 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:18.759 first and foremost, elders lead by being examples to the flock, examples of compassion, 00:14:18.759 --> 00:14:27.580 examples of speaking the truth in love, examples of hospitality, examples of courage, examples of 00:14:27.580 --> 00:14:36.879 gentleness. So, as a congregation, who are we looking for to serve us as elders? When we nominate people 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:45.299 to serve in this way, what are we looking for? We want leaders who are exemplary followers of Jesus. 00:14:45.299 --> 00:14:53.519 Now, of course, in the body of Christ, the elders are not the only ones who exercise gifts of speaking 00:14:53.519 --> 00:15:00.179 and serving, right? Far from it. Part of the elders' job as they shepherd the flock and exercise oversight 00:15:00.179 --> 00:15:06.179 is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. That is, the elders pour themselves out in service, 00:15:06.579 --> 00:15:13.639 teaching and equipping, so that the gifts of others might be raised up and flourish. So that when 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:21.500 every part is working properly, the whole body builds itself up in love. The ministry of the elders 00:15:21.500 --> 00:15:27.360 is meant to make the ministry of the congregation thrive and flourish. Remember what Peter said in 00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:33.580 chapter 4, verses 10 and 11. He says, as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good 00:15:33.580 --> 00:15:40.919 stewards of God's very grace. Whoever speaks as one who speaks oracles of God, whoever serves as one who 00:15:40.919 --> 00:15:45.740 serves by the strength that God supplies, in order that in everything God may be glorified through 00:15:45.740 --> 00:15:55.699 Jesus Christ. So there is a call here for all of us. In the body of Christ, those who lead, whether 00:15:55.699 --> 00:16:01.299 in the office of elder or in any other position, deacon, small group leader, Sunday school teacher, 00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:07.299 youth group leader, children's ministry worker, there's a call to all of us to lead by example. In fact, 00:16:07.299 --> 00:16:17.379 you don't have to have any formal title to lead in Christ's church. Follow Christ. Be an example to 00:16:17.379 --> 00:16:24.019 the flock. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor and your fellow 00:16:24.019 --> 00:16:32.079 church member as yourself. And if you do that, you are leading. That's the kind of leaders Jesus is 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:38.500 looking for. Not the sort who domineer over others, but the sort who set an exam. And isn't that what 00:16:38.500 --> 00:16:44.540 Peter is reminding them of in verse 1? You know, in verse 1, Peter could have said, look, I'm an apostle. 00:16:45.400 --> 00:16:50.460 Christ has given me authority to preach and teach in his name, so just do what I say. Right? He could 00:16:50.460 --> 00:16:57.520 have done that, but he doesn't do that. Instead, Peter comes to them and says, as a fellow elder 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:03.720 and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that's going to be revealed. 00:17:05.099 --> 00:17:11.740 In other words, the one who gives this exhortation knows what it's like to be in their shoes. 00:17:13.299 --> 00:17:18.680 Peter comes and exhorts all of us, not just as one over us, but as one alongside of us. 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:25.059 As an apostle, he certainly is over us, but as a fellow elder, a fellow sufferer, 00:17:25.059 --> 00:17:28.639 a fellow partaker of hope, he's also alongside of us. 00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:33.399 And is this not how we should exhort one another? 00:17:36.259 --> 00:17:43.059 Coming to our brothers and sisters, not just because we know better, but because we know beside, 00:17:43.700 --> 00:17:49.019 as it were. And ultimately, is not this what Christ has done? 00:17:49.019 --> 00:17:56.379 Christ came and told us to love one another, to lay down our lives for one another, to take up our cross 00:17:56.379 --> 00:18:02.579 and follow him. But Christ didn't just exhort us to do these things. He did them himself. 00:18:04.180 --> 00:18:09.599 He truly loved us to the end. He took up his cross and laid down his life for us. 00:18:10.339 --> 00:18:14.759 Christ is our king, yes, but he's also our companion. 00:18:14.759 --> 00:18:19.420 He's above us, and he's also beside us. 00:18:21.579 --> 00:18:26.019 Of course, he does what no one else can do. He offers the once-for-all sacrifice for sins, 00:18:26.180 --> 00:18:31.759 so that all who trust in him might be forgiven and reconciled to God. But he also sets an example 00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:39.940 for us. He laid down his life for us. Now we lay down our lives for each other. And in following his 00:18:39.940 --> 00:18:49.400 example, we in turn set an example for others. That's real leadership in the family of Christ, 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:51.960 and it's an example for all of us. 00:18:54.320 --> 00:18:56.779 And by way of encouragement, Peter says in verse 4, 00:18:57.440 --> 00:19:01.880 and when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:08.060 The work of shepherding is hard work, whether you're an elder or whether you're shepherding 00:19:08.060 --> 00:19:14.300 and setting the example in any other way. It's hard work, right? But the reward, Peter says, 00:19:14.600 --> 00:19:20.720 is better than anything this world has to give. Now in the ancient world, they would honor 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:27.500 victorious athletes, or they would honor conquering military generals with a crown made out of leaves. 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:32.500 And this kind of leafy crown would sort of be a sign that would celebrate their honor and their glory. 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:38.440 But of course, the irony is, is that a crown made of leaves would eventually fade. 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:44.339 The leaves would turn brown. The crown would become brittle and dry. 00:19:46.180 --> 00:19:50.200 And isn't that true of so many of our earthly achievements? 00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:59.620 We labor hard for success at work or at school and on the sports field, and those are good pursuits. 00:20:01.299 --> 00:20:08.480 But soon the years pass, and any crowns or achievements that we gained, they fade. 00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:13.559 But here, Peter says, is one crown that will never fade. 00:20:13.559 --> 00:20:21.419 Here's the one labor that will take everything we have to give, but in the end, the reward will come from Jesus himself. 00:20:22.220 --> 00:20:26.059 And this reward, this honor from the hand of our chief shepherd will never grow old. 00:20:28.019 --> 00:20:30.179 So elders, let this be an encouragement to you. 00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:34.220 And former elders, let this be an encouragement to you as well. 00:20:34.220 --> 00:20:41.900 And not just those who serve as elders, but all of us who labor hard, setting the example of Christ's likeness. 00:20:42.180 --> 00:20:46.079 Men and women, young and old, there will be a crown for you as well. 00:20:46.259 --> 00:20:51.480 This isn't the only passage that speaks of unfading glory and a crown of glory for faithful servants. 00:20:52.600 --> 00:20:57.299 Again and again, Jesus holds out for us the promise that our labor is not in vain. 00:20:57.299 --> 00:21:07.240 And any sacrifice we make for his sake will ultimately be seen to be no sacrifice at all in comparison to what we gain. 00:21:10.180 --> 00:21:12.659 So this is Peter's first exhortation to the elders. 00:21:13.599 --> 00:21:14.740 Shepherd the flock of God. 00:21:16.639 --> 00:21:19.559 The second exhortation comes in the first half of verse 5. 00:21:20.279 --> 00:21:24.619 Likewise, you who are younger be subject to the elders. 00:21:24.619 --> 00:21:28.859 Now, when Peter says, you who are younger here, 00:21:29.259 --> 00:21:32.819 some people think he might be referring to just the rest of the church. 00:21:32.899 --> 00:21:37.819 After all, usually the elders of the church are somewhat older than the rest of the church. 00:21:37.939 --> 00:21:43.799 But I actually think he's literally referring to young people in the congregation. 00:21:45.099 --> 00:21:48.839 Because in the rest of our passage, he'll turn and say, now all of you do this. 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:52.339 He says, he's talking to elders, then to those who are younger, and then to everyone. 00:21:52.339 --> 00:21:59.539 So I think Peter here is giving a special word for those who are younger in the church family. 00:22:00.679 --> 00:22:01.799 And his word is this. 00:22:03.099 --> 00:22:04.839 Be subject to the elders. 00:22:07.079 --> 00:22:09.819 In other words, receive their teaching. 00:22:10.859 --> 00:22:11.699 Follow their example. 00:22:12.699 --> 00:22:13.619 Heed their corrections. 00:22:14.639 --> 00:22:15.539 Imitate their lifestyle. 00:22:15.539 --> 00:22:23.659 Now, when you think about it, right, we all kind of put ourselves under someone's influence, don't we? 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:29.099 I mean, think about all the kind of so-called influencers on social media. 00:22:30.079 --> 00:22:39.759 How many of your friends, young people, watch and follow these influencers so that they can dress or dance or talk or think or cook or sing or wear makeup? 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:40.599 Just like they do. 00:22:40.639 --> 00:22:41.639 Whatever it is, right? 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:48.100 That's sort of what Peter means when he says, be subject to. 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:51.220 Put yourself under someone's influence. 00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:53.140 Follow their lead. 00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:55.620 Style yourself after them. 00:22:57.720 --> 00:23:00.420 And who should you style yourself after? 00:23:01.340 --> 00:23:03.759 Who should be the main influencer in your life? 00:23:04.140 --> 00:23:05.980 Who should you desire to emulate? 00:23:05.980 --> 00:23:10.980 Peter says, start with the elders. 00:23:12.920 --> 00:23:18.220 Now, look, I know the elders of the church are not cool. 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:20.079 Right? 00:23:20.720 --> 00:23:22.779 Most of us don't even have social media accounts. 00:23:23.360 --> 00:23:25.200 Like, on the cool factor, we're like a negative seven. 00:23:25.460 --> 00:23:26.039 I get it. 00:23:27.900 --> 00:23:31.480 But, you know, we're not trying to be cool, which sort of makes us cool, right? 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:33.720 Maybe not. 00:23:33.720 --> 00:23:33.740 Maybe not. 00:23:35.980 --> 00:23:44.019 But, you know, the elders and the other godly saints around this place, they're trying to be like the coolest person ever to walk the face of the earth. 00:23:44.920 --> 00:23:45.880 Jesus Christ. 00:23:47.259 --> 00:23:50.860 Do you consider that Jesus has more followers right now than any celebrity ever? 00:23:52.140 --> 00:23:55.759 The last time I checked, he had a little under two and a half billion followers. 00:23:57.259 --> 00:24:00.000 That's a lot more than most people on social media. 00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:04.539 But how do you know what it means to follow Jesus? 00:24:05.740 --> 00:24:07.720 How do you know what it means to live like him? 00:24:07.900 --> 00:24:08.759 To be like him? 00:24:08.880 --> 00:24:11.480 To become your truest self in him? 00:24:11.880 --> 00:24:15.500 To take what he says in his word and start living it out here and now? 00:24:17.880 --> 00:24:19.700 Peter says, start by looking to the elders. 00:24:19.700 --> 00:24:24.920 And of course, to other godly men and women in the church who are leading by example. 00:24:25.700 --> 00:24:27.340 Put yourself under their influence. 00:24:27.339 --> 00:24:32.319 And that is especially true and needful when you face external pressure. 00:24:32.659 --> 00:24:36.319 When it seems like you're swimming against the tide of your friends and your peers. 00:24:36.599 --> 00:24:41.299 It will be easy to dismiss the church and to look down on the older people in the church. 00:24:42.299 --> 00:24:43.319 But don't be fooled. 00:24:43.319 --> 00:24:53.939 If you can see Jesus in them and learn to follow Jesus through them, then you'll be on the cutting edge of history. 00:24:55.619 --> 00:24:59.740 Because the Lord Jesus and his kingdom is ultimately where history is heading. 00:25:01.619 --> 00:25:06.939 You were created to find your life in him and through him to live life to the full. 00:25:08.419 --> 00:25:10.879 This world makes promises it cannot keep. 00:25:10.880 --> 00:25:14.000 It promises joy and life and belonging. 00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:16.360 But at the end of the day, it leaves us empty. 00:25:17.780 --> 00:25:20.820 Jesus, on the other hand, never breaks a promise. 00:25:22.020 --> 00:25:23.480 He's faithful to the end. 00:25:24.580 --> 00:25:27.200 He proved it by going to the cross and rising again. 00:25:27.580 --> 00:25:30.320 And he will come again to make all things new. 00:25:32.080 --> 00:25:36.440 So look to the elders and look to the godly saints around you and imitate them. 00:25:37.160 --> 00:25:38.640 That's the real path to life. 00:25:40.880 --> 00:25:43.620 So we've seen Peter's exhortation to the elders. 00:25:44.440 --> 00:25:45.200 Shepherd the flock. 00:25:45.880 --> 00:25:47.860 And to those who are younger, be subject to them. 00:25:48.660 --> 00:25:52.500 Peter's last exhortation to a church under pressure is to all of us. 00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:54.040 He says, 00:25:54.039 --> 00:26:21.359 When you woke up this morning, you went to your closet or your dresser or maybe just a pile of clothes on the floor or whatever it was. 00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:22.240 You know? 00:26:22.479 --> 00:26:26.479 And you pulled out a pair of clothes and you shook them off and you put them on. 00:26:28.419 --> 00:26:34.979 But what's the key piece of clothing that we need to live together as the church when we're under pressure? 00:26:36.219 --> 00:26:38.359 Peter says, humility. 00:26:38.359 --> 00:26:43.639 Humility toward one another and humility toward God. 00:26:44.159 --> 00:26:46.759 Put that on every morning, Peter says. 00:26:48.459 --> 00:26:50.219 And what does humility look like? 00:26:50.259 --> 00:26:59.839 Well, according to verses 6 and 7, humility looks like a deep conviction in both God's might and God's care. 00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:05.799 In verse 6, we're to humble ourselves under God's mighty hand. 00:27:06.179 --> 00:27:12.259 That is God's active power to save like his mighty hand that liberated his people from slavery in Egypt. 00:27:12.959 --> 00:27:16.879 We humble ourselves under God's supreme sovereignty and power. 00:27:17.019 --> 00:27:18.899 We stop trying to be our own lords. 00:27:19.220 --> 00:27:21.339 We stop trying to be our own saviors. 00:27:21.339 --> 00:27:26.939 We stop looking to the idols of acceptance or success or power to rescue us. 00:27:27.119 --> 00:27:29.659 And we look to God, the mighty one. 00:27:30.859 --> 00:27:32.819 And we put ourselves beneath him. 00:27:35.439 --> 00:27:38.220 But this God, Peter says, also cares for us. 00:27:39.019 --> 00:27:40.019 He's not just mighty. 00:27:40.699 --> 00:27:42.639 He's tender and merciful. 00:27:43.480 --> 00:27:46.199 So we can cast all our anxieties on him. 00:27:46.200 --> 00:27:54.779 Every fear that we have, even the ones that don't easily go away, we cast on him again and again. 00:27:56.600 --> 00:28:02.220 And when we put ourselves in this place of humble reliance on God's power and on God's care, 00:28:02.680 --> 00:28:05.039 then we can be humble toward one another. 00:28:07.019 --> 00:28:12.420 Humble because we don't need to protect our pride anymore or sort of our way of doing things. 00:28:12.539 --> 00:28:14.220 We're more concerned about God's way. 00:28:14.220 --> 00:28:18.220 Humble because we're not driven by our fears anymore. 00:28:19.140 --> 00:28:21.519 We know that God is the one who cares for us. 00:28:23.160 --> 00:28:26.500 So no longer kind of driven by our pride or our fears. 00:28:26.860 --> 00:28:29.940 We can be humble towards one another and we can accept one another. 00:28:30.660 --> 00:28:32.180 And we can defer to one another. 00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:35.640 And we can admit when we're wrong to one another. 00:28:37.420 --> 00:28:40.019 We don't live anymore to kind of make ourselves look great. 00:28:40.160 --> 00:28:43.799 We're much more interested in making God look great and building others up. 00:28:44.220 --> 00:28:50.980 We're not so obsessed with looking to our own needs, but we're just as concerned as looking to the needs of others. 00:28:53.779 --> 00:28:57.980 In a time of pressure, Peter exhorts all of us to be humble. 00:28:57.980 --> 00:29:06.339 And he says it's in humility that we find the deep wells of God's grace. 00:29:07.539 --> 00:29:10.360 God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 00:29:10.359 --> 00:29:15.199 Do you want more of God's grace in your life, friend? 00:29:16.719 --> 00:29:18.019 Grace to become holy? 00:29:19.479 --> 00:29:21.500 Grace to become more fruitful in ministry? 00:29:22.699 --> 00:29:24.199 Grace to be more like Jesus? 00:29:24.200 --> 00:29:24.340 Grace to be more like Jesus. 00:29:26.340 --> 00:29:30.759 Do we as a church body want to see more of God's grace at work? 00:29:31.660 --> 00:29:34.759 Grace bringing more people to saving faith. 00:29:35.640 --> 00:29:37.680 Grace bringing deeper unity and love. 00:29:37.840 --> 00:29:40.519 Grace bringing fresh experiences of God's spirit. 00:29:40.519 --> 00:29:45.039 light our heart. 00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:45.440 Great. 00:29:46.379 --> 00:29:48.279 Grace bringing better faith. 00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:48.740 Grace bringing more comfort in ministry in ministry. 00:29:48.940 --> 00:29:50.079 Grace bringing safer with compassion. 00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:51.200 Grace bringing more comfort in ministry. 00:29:51.200 --> 00:29:53.400 Grace bringing new experts to secure life's free. 00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:54.420 Grace bringing more respect of power. 00:29:54.420 --> 00:29:54.660 Grace bringing your faith when bridges giving more joy to death. 00:29:54.660 --> 00:29:56.619 Grace bringing more of God with christ consumption like Jesus. 00:29:56.619 --> 00:29:58.720 Grace bringing more hands on a king to seine power and make sure to run by Jesus. 00:29:58.779 --> 00:30:00.660 Grace bringing forth experience of opportunity, 00:30:00.660 --> 00:30:01.500 grace bringing more comfort in the infinitenekelling please the kiss of Spirit. 00:30:02.460 --> 00:30:04.700 In other words, grace bringing us up the peace of wiederum and to the nature of lundas nmişting questions. 00:30:04.700 --> 00:30:05.400 Grace making more grace principles of Christ NORlette. 00:30:05.460 --> 00:30:06.579 Or achievement, learn from the heart that the Father. 00:30:06.579 --> 00:30:07.440 Get there for us to come from America.