Exhortations About Elders

Go ahead and take your copy of God's Word and turn to one Peter chapter five. And we have arrived at the last chapter of this letter that we've been studying together this past year or so. And we're probably just going to have a few messages here in this chapter. And then Lord willing, move on to second Peter. So covet your prayers as I think ahead about that next book and what we can learn from that. But this morning, first Peter, chapter five, we're going to be studying verses one through five. First Peter chapter five, verse one.

Peter writes, therefore I exhort the elders among you as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily according to the rule of God and not for sorted gain, but with eagerness, nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you'll receive the unfading crown of glory. You younger men, likewise be subject to your elders and all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. For God is opposed to the proud, but he gives grace to the humble God. We desperately need your grace this morning. And so we come humbly before you asking that you would help us to understand what Peter meant by what he said in this text and how it applies to us.

And Lord, I am particularly humbled this morning knowing that I'm on the hot seat in many ways because this text unpacks my role, my responsibility as a pastor along with the other pastors and elders in our church. And so I pray that I would listen attentively to your word, but Lord, there's also a responsibility of church members that's mentioned here. And so I pray all of us would be listening carefully for our respective roles, our respective responsibilities, that we would be faithful to them so that we could be pleasing to you. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.

Well, one of the most demanding yet rewarding experiences of my life was going through the process of being officially ordained for pastoral ministry. And my ordination process consisted of three stages stretched out over the course of several months. During the first stage, I had to share how God saved me and how God had called me into the ministry with a group of three older godly elders who I had chosen to serve as my ordination council. The second stage was much more daunting. It was a three hour session where these three men examine my knowledge of scripture and my ability to practically apply it in my own life and administering to the lives of others. And so they grilled me with questions in three areas. One hour of Bible survey, one hour of systematic theology and a third hour of pastoral ministry. Well, if that wasn't enough, the third stage involved attending an elders meeting at the church that I was serving at at the time where those three men reported to the rest of the elders how I had done in my examination.

And they recommended that I be ordained for the work of the ministry. And then all 40 of those other elders were given the opportunity to ask me any question they wanted in order to test me, really, to stump me to see if I was truly qualified to be a pastor. Well, by God's grace, I have an ordination certificate in my office with the signatures of all these men affirming that I have been tested and approved by them to serve as a pastor. I share all that because Peter's ordination process was much different than mine. It consisted of just one meeting with just one man who examined him by asking him just one question three times. Of course, I'm referring to Jesus's conversation that he had with Peter in John chapter 21. And I invite you to turn there with me just for a moment, John 21, because I believe this account serves as the background for what we are going to look at in first Peter chapter five, John 21, Christ has resurrected from the grave, he's returned to his home area, region around the sea of Galilee.

And he met up with the disciples and he had a one-on-one conversation with Peter. And I think the purpose of this conversation was twofold. Number one, to restore him after he had denied him three times, but also to commission him to be the pastor, the shepherd, the leader of the disciples and the church after Christ returned to heaven. And so we find in John 21, verse 15, it says this, so when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? He had already professed that even if all the other disciples had fallen away, he would never fall away because that's how much he loved Jesus. And so he says, Simon, do you really love me more than these? He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And he said to him, 10 my lambs, he said to him again, a second time, Simon son of John, do you love me? He said to him, yes Lord, you know that I love you. And he said to him, shepherd my sheep. He said to him, the third time, Simon son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know all things you know that I love you. And Jesus said to him, attend my sheep.

I think the simple, the yet profound lesson that we can learn from this momentous interchange between Jesus and Peter is that love for Christ is the essential qualification and motivation for being a pastor. My ordination experience could have been a whole lot simpler, but a whole lot harder if one of those elders simply asked me, Ken, do you love Jesus? Because at the end of the day, that's what it all comes down to. And again, I think this pivotal experience that Peter had with Jesus on the shores of the sea of Galilee is behind much of what he wrote here in these five verses. This is one of the key texts in the New Testament regarding the role of pastors and elders, those who have been called and commissioned by God to feed and to tend his flock. Exactly what Jesus told Peter to do.

And what I want us to see this morning is how Peter gave church leaders and church members five exhortations about elders so that the flock of God would interact according to the will of God. Again, five exhortations about elders given to both church leaders and church members so that the flock of God would interact according to the will of God. And as we're going to see, the first four exhortations are directed specifically toward the elders of the church. And the last exhortation is directed generally toward the members of the church. And when the elders in a church and the members of a church both obey their respective exhortations, peace and unity will prevail in the church and God will be pleased and God will be glorified. So let's look at these five exhortations together. Number one, elders must be intimately acquainted with Christ. Elders must be intimately acquainted with Christ. Notice Peter begins with the word therefore, which indicates that what he's about to say regarding elders is somehow linked to the proceeding instructions he gave to the entire church about the suffering and persecution they would inevitably face as a result of their commitment to Christ. I'm referring specifically to chapter four, verses 12 through 19, the passage that we looked at last week specifically that we should not be surprised when we suffer, as if some strange thing were happening to us, but instead we should rejoice that we get to share in the sufferings of Christ.

You say, well, what's the connection between suffering and shepherds? Well, whenever God ordains that the members of his household experience, his refining and purifying judgment is what we learned last week in verse 17, it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. Those who God has called to lead his household need to step up and care for the spiritual wellbeing of the members of his household. When church members experience persecution or suffering or any kind of trial or tribulation, it is the responsibility of the church leaders, the pastors, the elders, to provide them encouragement, comfort, and support, and the severe persecution and intense suffering that these believers were about to face or maybe had begun to already face required strong, steady stalwart, stellar shepherds.

And I think that's why Peter urged those who had been called and appointed to serve as elders to shepherd these troubled herding sheep who were in desperate need of pastoral care. And so he says, therefore, I exhort the elders among you. Operative word there is elders, of course. And you say, well, who are they? Well, elders refer to the godly, spiritually mature men who God raises up in a church to provide oversight for that church. And if you know the New Testament, you know the pattern that is laid down there or set before us is that each local body of believers is to be led by a group of godly men, a plurality of elders who oversee the affairs of the church and shepherd the people who go to the church. And Paul was very clear about this, and we see this unfold in the book of Acts as Paul went about on his missionary journeys, leading people to Christ, planting churches and appointing elders for those churches.

Acts chapter 14, verse 23, when they had pointed elders for them in every church having prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. In Acts chapter 20, we see him calling the elders of the church an Ephesus to have a final meeting with him before he was to go off to Jerusalem and eventually to Rome and be killed for the cause of Christ. And so he says, from my elitist, he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And then I love how he begins his exhortation here in Acts 2028. He says to them, be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.

When Paul wrote a letter to the church in Philippi, he addressed it to the saints in Christ Jesus who were in Philippi, including the overseers and the deacons. And so he lays out two offices of governing a church. There's elders and there's deacons. And then of course in one Timothy chapter three, Titus one, Paul lays out the qualifications for both of those offices, both overseers and deacons. But in regards to elders, there are three terms that are used interchangeably to describe these men who serve in this very special role in the church. The first word is episcopals, where we get the word Episcopal. That's typically translated elder. There's a second word, it's pres buto, which is where we get the word Presbyterian, which typically Presbyterian churches are elder led churches. This word presbyo is translated typically overseer or bishop. This is the word that Peter chose to use here in first Peter chapter five, verse one.

And then there's a third word main, which is the word for pastor or shepherd. Now, I don't think that God ever intended these three terms to be turned into some kind of ecclesiastical titles like Bishop, so-and-So who's over these three deacons? And there's all these hierarchical structures that have occurred and been developed over the course of church history, which I don't think are biblical necessarily. I think the term elder just simply emphasizes their maturity, whereas the term overseer refers to their responsibility to oversee. And pastor defines their primary duty, which is to feed and care for the flock.

Notice how Peter continues. He says, I exhort the elders among you as your fellow elder. Paul didn't claim to be the supreme leader of the church. The first Pope as some believe and some teach here was this formerly proud overconfident, outspoken man humbly coming alongside the elders he was writing to and putting himself on the same level. There's no pope in the history of the church that has ever done that. And yet this is evidence of the amazing transformation that had taken place in the life of Peter. Peter was no armchair elder. He was a seasoned shepherd who had faithfully served in the trenches overseeing the infant church from its very beginning in Jerusalem with the other apostles. And so the instruction that he gave in this passage was based on the experience that he had gained from shepherding God's people for more than 30 years.

He understood the challenges and the difficulties and inherent in being an elder, which made him imminently qualified to speak to this issue of eldership. What's more notice? He says, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, Peter had seen with his own eyes the agony of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane. And he saw Christ beaten and whipped during his initial trials, and ultimately he saw Christ lay down his life for the sheep, all of which compelled Peter to boldly testify and witness and tell others about Christ. By the way, that word witness is the word Marty in the Greek, which has come to mean martyr because so many of the early Christians who testified of Christ and served as witnesses to Christ ended up being killed. And so it's really the word witness has became synonymous with the word martyr. He also says that he's a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed.

Peter had just mentioned in the last chapter that those who share in Christ's sufferings will also share in his glory chapter four, verse 13. But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing so that also at the revelation of his glory, you may rejoice with exhalation. This is the hope of every believer that if we suffer for Christ, we'll be exalted with Christ, we'll share his glory in heaven. And this was the hope that motivated Peter to faithfully serve Christ as an under shepherd. And Jesus graciously gave him a sneak preview of his glory. If you remember on the Mount of Transfiguration with James and John, Jesus peeled back his flesh, if you will, and revealed his glory. And they were amazed. They didn't want it to end. They wanted to just build little huts and live there. He also saw the glory of the risen Christ watch Jesus ascend back into heaven. And so Peter lived and ministered in anticipation of Christ's return when he would see him in all of his glory again.

But I think these last two phrases, witness of the sufferings of Christ and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed. I think they just reflect the intimate relationship that Peter had with his Lord and savior Jesus Christ. And I think every elder must have the same kind of intimate relationship with Christ. Why? Because an elder's relationship to Christ affects or shapes the way they care for Christ flock. My relationship with Jesus really fuels my relationship with you and defines my relationship with you. The more precious Christ is to a pastor or to an elder, the more precious to him will be the sheep for whom Christ died.

And really a spiritual leader should simply minister to others out of the overflow of their own personal walk with Christ, their own personal devotion to Christ, and you can't lead anyone further in their walk with Christ. Then you've gone in your own walk with Christ. That's why I appreciate the words of Warren Weby who years ago wrote this. He says, Peter's words wrote these words out of his own personal experience with Jesus Christ. He had a vital and growing relationship with Christ and this made it possible for him to minister to God's people. And then he says this, if I have any counsel for God's shepherds today, it is this, cultivate a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and share what he gives you with your people. That way you'll grow and they will grow with you. That's good, isn't it?

And so the first exhortation here is that elders must have an intimate relationship with Christ. Secondly, elders must be diligently committed to the flock. Elders must be diligently committed to the flock. Notice he goes on in verse two. He says, shepherd the flock of God among you. This is essentially the same command that Jesus had given Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee when he restored him, when he commissioned him to serve as a elite apostle. And now 30 years later, Peter was simply passing Christ's command onto these elders. And we don't have the time to look at this, but I think you're familiar enough with scripture to know that the analogy of a shepherd tending sheep is used throughout the Bible to describe God's relationship with his people, probably the most. Well-known example is Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. And on and on it goes throughout the scriptures. Peter already alluded to this shepherding motif in chapter two, verse 25. You may remember this, for you were continually straying like sheep, but now you've returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

And we all can relate to that verse, and I think we would all agree there's no more appropriate analogy to describe God and us. Why? Because sheep cannot be left unattended. They require constant attention and meticulous care. They're prone to wander away from the fold and are defenseless against attacks from the enemies. They need a shepherd to look after them and guide them and feed them and protect them and rescue them and help them when they get hurt. And that's what a group of elders are supposed to do are called to do. For those that God entrust to their care, they watch over their souls. They provide them with spiritual guidance and direction. They feed them the word of God. They protect them from wolves in sheep's clothing. They rescue them when they go astray. They calm them when they're fearful or anxious. They comfort them in their pain. They pick them up and carry them in their arms when they get hurt and they know them by name. At least we try to know everyone by name. Why? So we can understand the unique traits of each person in the church and minister them accordingly.

And I think that simple little phrase there, shepherd the flock of God among you, really destroys the most common misconception regarding elders and their role in the church. Elders are not members of a decision-making board. Sometimes you hear the term the elder board, and it kind of gives that feel. They're not the corporate executives, the executives of the corporation, the CEOs, the CFOs, they're not the policymakers. They're not the advisors or assistants to the pastor. They're not even the representatives of the people. Elders, pastors are shepherds whose main duty is to oversee a portion of God's flock entrusted to their care. We are stewards of God's sheep.

You're God's sheep, not my sheep. You're not the elder sheep. You belong to Christ. Why? Because he bought you. I didn't die for you. Jesus died for you. He bought you at a great price. And so that's a sobering thought that Christ has entrusted me with the great honor, the great privilege, but the great responsibility to shepherd a portion of his flock along with the rest of the pastors and elders that he's raised up here at Lakeside. And we are to exercise oversight. He says again, we're not just a business-like committee who sits around making decisions for the church. We are a shepherding team who get involved in the lives of people in the church to help them grow and develop so they become strong, stable, healthy, productive Christians.

So elders must be diligently committed to the flock. Thirdly, elders must be properly motivated. Elders must be properly motivated. Notice how Peter goes on to explain what should motivate elders to serve. And he uses three pairs of negative and positive exhortations. He says that we are to exercise oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily according to the will of God and not for sorted gain, but with eagerness and nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. So he says, first of all, that we are to exercise oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily. A man shouldn't have to be coerced into serving as an elder. Nobody should have to twist his arm rather than feeling like he was forced into it or somehow obligated to do it based on guilt or the expectations of others. He must have a God-given desire in his heart that motivates him to willingly serve even though he feels unworthy to do it. Verse Timothy chapter three verse one, Paul said it. Hey, if a man desires the office of an overseer to be an elder, it's a good thing. It's a God-given desire. If God has placed that desire in your heart and you know it is his will for you to serve in that capacity, then serving as an elder should be a delight. Not a drudgery.

An elder or a pastor should serve. Serve because they want to, not because they have to. Sometimes I stop myself in the middle of the day and I pinch myself and I'm like, I really get to do this for a living and I get paid for it. This is crazy. I feel like I won the lottery. What a joy, what a blessing. If somebody asked me the other day, are you still content being a pastor? I said, content is not the word. It's like if you told me I couldn't be a pastor tomorrow, I don't know what I would do. It's all I've ever wanted to do and that's all I want to do. And I think that's the way the heart of a pastor an elder should be, that you have this all consuming passion compulsion to do the work of the ministry.

He goes on to say, not for sorted gain, but with eagerness. An elder must not have any selfish motives for being an elder. He shouldn't be seeking to get anything for himself, whether that's status or wealth or praise or pay, however you want to say that. And Paul chose to support himself as a tent maker so as not to burden anyone in the church or have anyone question his motives. I love how he expressed this in Acts chapter 20 when he was talking to the elders there in Ephesus. He said in Acts chapter 20, verse 33, I've coveted no one's silver or gold or claw closed. You yourselves know that these hands to my own needs and to the men who were with me and everything I showed you, that by working hard in this manner, you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, it is more blessed to give than to receive.

And Second Thessalonians chapter three talks about how he worked so as not to be a burden, but also to be an example to those lazy people in the church who were just sitting around waiting for Jesus to come back at the same time. Paul was the one who taught that it is biblical for a man to make a living as a pastor and for a church to generously compensate a man for doing the work of the ministry. One Timothy chapter five, verse 17, the elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle the ox while he's stretching and the labor is worthy of his wages. He expanded this whole idea of a pastor being paid to be a pastor in one Corinthians chapter nine, verses seven through 14.

But even so, a man should never be in the ministry for the money. He must have no desire for personal or financial gain. In fact, one of the qualifications of being an elder, first Timothy chapter three verse three is that it says he must be free from the love of money. And in Titus it says this, that he should not be fond of sorted gain because that's by the way, what false teachers are fond of. He goes on and Titus chapter one, verse 10, for there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sorted gain.

So conversely, I think a pastor, an elder, should freely and joyfully serve at great costs to himself. Paul said it this way, I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. Two Corinthians 1215. And again, this stands in stark contrast to the pageantry of the medieval church with all the big hats and the gaudy gowns and the paintings and statues and the stained glass and all the giness that went along with that. And also it stands in contrast to the audacity of today's falls, teachers who are constantly appealing for people to send them money which they use to fund their lavish lifestyles and to build their personal empires.

And so Peter said, Hey, listen, don't be in it for the money. You shouldn't be compelled here by sorted gain, but with eagerness, elders and pastors should do their work eagerly and enthusiastically with energy, with excitement, and at times, I'll be honest, it's hard to be enthusiastic at an early morning elders meeting or a late night counseling session that was unplanned, unscheduled, or when you feel overwhelmed by the compounding issues of the church and the burdens and the heartaches of others that all the sheep and what they're experiencing going through all at the same time. And yet, elders must continue to serve with joyful readiness.

Like someone said, a pastor needs to be ready to preach, pray, or die at a moment's notice. You're just ready. And then the third phrase, notice in verse three, he says, nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. Listen, elders are under shepherds, not overlords. So elders should not be authoritarian or domineering or controlling in their leadership. In fact, that's exactly why God rebuked the shepherds of Israel in Ezekiel chapter 34, verse four, because of their domineering leadership, they were abusive. And so elders should never lead by intimidation or manipulation or resort to excessive force. Rather than being a dictator, they should be a servant leader.

You remember when the disciples were jockeying for position and they were arguing about who was the greatest and who was going to get to sit on the right and left hand of God or Christ when he set up his kingdom in Jerusalem? Jesus overheard the conversation and he said this in Matthew chapter 20, verse 25, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them and there are great men exercise authority over them. It is not so among you, but whoever wishes it to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.

That is the model that we are to follow, which is referred to as servant leadership, Christ-like leadership. And so rather than demand respect, elders and pastors must command respect. And there's a big difference there. And the way that we command respect is through a Christ-like example. Notice he says, don't Lord it over those allotted to your charge, but prove to be examples to the flock. That word example is the word for type or pattern. And so we're to serve as a model for the rest of the people in the church. An elder pastor should live in such a way that others can pattern their lives after his. Every elder, every pastor should be able to say what Paul said on multiple occasions, follow me as I follow Christ.

In fact, I think the most important characteristic of a godly leader is a life worthy of imitation. And then over the years, I think I'm beginning to realize that at the end of the day, you're going to learn more from watching me live my life than listening to me preach. And that's just the reality. The other note I want to make here is that elders don't drive people from behind like a rancher. Think of the man from snowy river watch. He's got his whip wielding out there and the horses are going like this, trying to avoid the whip.

But elders and pastors walk in front of people like a shepherd and they lead by their own example. So elders are to be properly motivated. And then number four, elders will be lavishly rewarded by Christ. Elders will be lavishly rewarded by Christ. Notice verse four, and when the chief shepherd appears, you'll receive the unfading crown of glory. This is one of a number of titles for Christ throughout the scriptures. He's called the true shepherd who cares for the sheep. In Ezekiel chapter 34, he's the good shepherd who dies for the sheep. In John chapter 10, he's the great shepherd who lives for the sheep. And Hebrews chapter 13, and here he is called the Chief Shepherd who will come again to get his sheep.

And Peter says, when he comes, he'll reward those who faithfully served him as his under shepherds. He says, you'll receive the unfading crown of glory. And in Peter's day, victorious athletes were given a crown made of Laurel Res or valiant. Soldiers were crowned with a gold crown. And over time these earthly crowns would wither and fade away and get tarnished. But he says, when Christ returns, those who faithfully served as elders and pastors will receive an imperishable crown of glory, which by the way is just not exclusive to elders and pastors. If you remember from chapter one verse four, Peter said that because of Christ and his death, we have the hope of the resurrection to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven For you, this is the hope of every Christian, but apparently there is a special crown, a unique crown for those who served as pastors and elders. It's the crown literally, which is glory. In other words, we'll be glorified alongside Christ. We'll be clothed with his glorious likeness. And if you look at Isaiah 28 verse five, it even takes on a greater meaning that Christ himself will be our glorious crown.

One commentator said it this way, the faithful elders who received their crowns of blessing from the Lord will cast their crowns before the throne of him who wore the crown of thorns for them. Of course, referring to Revelation chapter four, where it specifically says The 24 elders will fall down before him who sits on the throne and will worship him who lives forever and ever and will cast their crowns before the throne saying, worthy, are you our Lord and our God to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things and because of your will, they exist and were created. In other words, at the end of the day, we don't want any of the glory. We don't get any of the glory, all the glory goes to God.

And this promise is helpful, the promise in verse four, because being an elder at times can be a thankless task that requires a tremendous amount of physical and mental and emotional energy. One minute you're ministering to someone who just lost their loved one or lost their job. The next minute you're rejoicing with a couple who's getting married or who's having a baby. The next minute, you're rebuking someone who's causing division in the church or you're trying to reconcile two people who have gotten sideways with one another. Or the next minute you're counseling someone struggling with some sinful habit pattern in their life, or you're comforting parents with a wayward child or you're discipling a new believer and the whole time you're preparing your next lesson, your next sermon, but a faithful elder will be adequately recompense for all the joys, all the burdens, all the heartaches, all the sacrifices, all the persecutions, all the sufferings involved in shepherding God's flock. And this promise here in verse four should serve as an inspiring incentive for every faithful, selfless, hardworking pastor elder who feels perhaps unnoticed or unappreciated to persevere in the work with the hope of being honored in heaven, even if it doesn't happen here on earth.

One of my favorite missionary stories is of a couple who had faithfully served for decades overseas and they were returning to the states and they really wanted to stay in the field but their age and failing health concerned the mission board. And so they packed up their belongings and they boarded a ship bound for New York. And also on that ship was a popular, well-known government official and his wife. And during the weeks at sea, this couple observed the officials drunkenness and womanizing and foul language, and it was totally different from the lifestyle that they had lived for Christ. And when they finally arrived in New York City, the official and his wife were greeted with great fanfare, a brass band and reporters and photographers and roses for his wife. I mean it was the works.

But this AIDS missionary couple walked off the gang plank and through the crowd unmet and seemingly unknown. And as they walked together, a tear trickled down the husband's cheek and the wife noticed, and she says, what's wrong, honey? And he said, we've spent our entire life serving Christ. We've worn ourselves out for Jesus and nobody's here to greet us, and there's not even a bouquet of flowers for you. And his dear wife replied, honey, we're not home yet. Love that. Well, there's one more exhortation. And now in this final verse, verse five, Paul turned his focus from the shepherds to the sheep from the responsibility of those who lead to the responsibility of those being led. And the exhortation here is that elders must be humbly submitted to notice. He says, you younger men, likewise be subject to your elders. Elders are typically older, not always, but spiritually.

They are older in the Lord. But it is typical that the younger men in the church are the ones who have the hardest time submitting to the elders. They tend to be impatient and impetuous, which Peter knew all about. Peter thought he knew more than Jesus at times, didn't he? So he knew what he was speaking about from his younger days, and he knew that young men often struggle with what they perceive as the elders not doing enough or not doing things fast enough. And so he wanted to remind the young men to, regardless of what they think or how they felt there to submit to those who have been given the responsibility to lead the church, they must be willing to support the decisions of the elders and listen to their counsel and be open to their reproves and respect their years of collective wisdom.

And notice the word likewise there. That should sound familiar because we've heard that a number of times where Peter has already addressed and encouraged us to submit to the governing authorities in chapter two, and that slaves are to submit to their masters and wives are to submit to their husbands chapter three. And so in the same way God has called wives to submit to their husbands and employees to submit to their employers and citizens to submit to their governing authorities. Even so, God has called the members of a church to submit to their elders. And at the end of the day, submission is an act of faith. You are trusting that God is working out his will for your life through the leaders. He's sovereignly placed over you.

I'm standing here in front of you today as a result of submitting to the elders that were over me some 25 years ago who said, Ken, we think you need to be a senior pastor. And I had never thought about being a senior pastor. I was a youth pastor and I was loving it. And I had dedicated myself to be a youth pastor for life for the rest of my life. And like, no, Ken, we think you need to be a senior pastor. And while I didn't necessarily agree with them, and it was something that I had never thought of, I thought to myself, well, if these are the men that God has placed over me, they know me the best. They've observed my ministry, and if they think I need to be a senior pastor, I need to submit to their wisdom and their counsel. And you know what? I'm so glad I did because I've never regretted that decision to transition from youth ministry to be a senior pastor.

Turn back just a couple pages to Hebrews because it's right next door. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 17, probably one of the most important verses for leaders and church members, church leaders and church members. Hebrews 1317 says, obey your leaders and submit to them for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. That's a serious responsibility that I am to shepherd your soul. The elders are to shepherd the souls of the saints. And someday we will stand before God and give an account of how we shepherded your souls. Notice the rest of the verse. Let them do this with joy and not with grief. For this would be unprofitable for you.

So ask yourself, are you a blessing or a burden to the elders of this church? How about this? Would you enjoy being an elder if everyone was like you? Do you bring joy to those who oversee you and care for your soul? Or do you suck the joy out of them? You say, Hey, wait a minute. I thought this was young men. Now you're meddling in my life, and I'm not even a young man. Well, back to one Peter five, verse five. He says, you younger men, likewise be subject to your elders and all of you.

This is Peter's way of saying all y'all, this is elders, this is church members. This is young men, young women, old men, old women. This is everybody cloth yourselves with humility toward one another. The word cloth there was used to describe a slave putting on an apron before serving. And I have to believe that Peter was recalling that last supper in the upper room when Jesus girded himself with that towel and humbly washed the disciple's feet. John 13, all the other disciples were too prideful to humble themselves to that task of washing feet. That was the job of a slave. And so Peter says, we're to put off pride and to put on humility in its place. And why? Because humility is the key to unity. And that's why it's such an essential trait that every one of us needs to be decked out with all the time in order to get along with one another.

Philippians two, three, and four, do nothing out of selfishness or empty conceit pride, but with humility of mind. Consider one another more important than yourselves. Don't merely look out for your own interests. Look out for the interests of others. And then he says, have the mind of Christ that was the mind of Christ, who was in heaven, came to earth and humbled himself even to the point of death on a cross. Imagine a church full of Christ-like foot washers who think and act like everyone else is more important than themselves and tries to outdo each other in serving one another. That's the kind of church I want to be a part of.

What is the incentive of all this? Well, notice the last phrase, Peter quotes from Proverbs 3 34 to emphasize God's attitude toward the proud and the humble. He says, God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. And the proverbs, by the way, are very clear of what God thinks of pride. Proverbs chapter six, verse 16. There are six things which the Lord hates. Yes, seven, which are our abomination. In first on the list, haughty eyes. What does God hate? Most? Survey says pride. Proverbs eight, verse 13. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance. And the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate pride is what turned Lucifer into Satan, caused him to rebel against the Lord and be cast out of heaven and be damned to hell for all eternity.

And whenever we act pridefully, we make ourselves an enemy of God. And God is against us. God opposes us, but he gives grace to the humble. God is drawn to those who have a humble, broken, contrite heart. There's this magnetic attraction in God's heart to a humble heart. Isaiah 66, 2, God says to this one, I will look to him who is humble and contrite and who trembles at my word. So when both the elders and the church members cloth themselves with humility, God graciously allows peace and unity to prevail within the church. And beloved, I'm convinced that as we all strive to live out these five exhortations, God will grant us the grace that we need to humbly and to lovingly interact as church leaders and church members, which is the only way to keep at bay the potential disunity and division that lurks beneath the surface of every church.

Let's pray. Father, we're so humbled by this text. There's so much here for us to apply and to put into practice and to live out, and we can't do it without the help of your spirit. And so, Lord, thank you for the unity that we do enjoy as a church. We've experienced a sweet season of unity, and we know that that is such a fragile thing. And one sinful choice or sinful decision or action can destroy that unity. And so, Lord, would we just be mindful of that and be humble and dependent upon you to help us be who we need to be according to this passage. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.