1 Peter 5

1 Peter 5:1

Peter understood that fiery trials would begin at the house of God (1Pe_4:17). He also knew that the house of God had better be in order. That is why here in chapter 5, he ends his letter talking about the leaders and structure of the church. The words “elder,” “bishop,” and “pastor” are used interchangeably in the New Testament. Presbuteros, the Greek word translated “elder,” describes the man asone who is to have some maturity, experience, and history with God. Episkopos, the Greek word translated “bishop,” describes the ministrynot as overlording or overburdening, but as overseeing. Poimen, the Greek word translated “pastor,” describes the methodas that of feeding the flock of God. The following words directed toward elders also apply to every one of you who is involved in caring for or overseeing your family or others. Notice, Peter doesn’t identify himself as the first pope. Rather, he says, “I’m an elder just like you.” “I’m one of you,” says Peter, “but I’ve also had a little more history with Jesus than you. I saw His sufferings and His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration” (see Matthew 17).

1 Peter 5:2

Although he knew tough times were coming, Peter says, “Don’t neglect your singular responsibility to feed the flock of God.” We don’t need to be plugged in to a lot of activities or Christian recreation. What we need is the Word of God. Although Peter was one with the people, he was responsible to oversee them. Such is the tension for any leaderas a pastor, a parent, or a youth leader. Sometimes it can be extremely difficult. If I am simply overseeing but am not among the people to whom I’m ministering, I will become aloof and untouchable. If, on the other hand, I’m just one of the gang, shooting pool and joking around every night, I probably won’t have the authority to oversee as I’m told to do. What is Peter’s solution? We’ll see it in verse 1Pe_5:3. You shouldn’t have to be prodded to pastor, to parent, or to work with the fourth-graders in Sunday school. In other words, your motivation should not stem from someone relentlessly badgering you, but from the internal call of God. There are two inherent dangers in the ministry. The first is laziness, when people do the very least they possibly can. There’s no room in the ministry for laziness because, to a large degree, the well-being of the flock depends upon the care of those in positions of authority. The second inherent danger in ministry is that of covetousness.

1 Peter 5:3

As pastor, I’m not the Reverend Right Most Holy Bishop. Rather, I’m just one of the sheep. Why am I up front? If the church were likened to a hospital, I am up front simply because I’ve been a patient a little longer than most of you in the Hospital of God’s Grace and Goodness. Thus, I know where the cafeteria is and where the restrooms are. I know which orderlies to watch out for, and which doctors have big needles. We’re all in this thing together. We’re all sheep. Therefore, no one in the body of Christ can lord it over anyone else. Here is the solution to verse 1Pe_5:2. In parenting, pastoring, or anything else concerning working with people, the bottom line is this: Be an example. That’s how you can be among people and oversee them, as well. Whether raising my kids or serving at Calvary Chapel, I am not to be a lord. I’m to be an example. There’s a big difference between dictatorship and leadership. Dictatorship says, “Go.” Leadership says, “Let’s go.” Whether parenting or pastoring, the true leader is involved in whatever he’s teaching or helping others to do. Paul put it this way to his young protege, Timothy: “Be thou an example of the believer” (see 1Ti_4:12). In other words, be a man of prayer, a man of compassion, a man who worships. Let people see this first in you. Let me ask you this question: If everyone at Calvary Chapel was exactly like you, what kind of church would we have? If everyone prayed for the body of Christ as much as you do, how much prayer would we have? If everyone tithed exactly like you, how much would we be able to invest for the kingdom? If everyone came to morning worship as much as you, how many would come? If everyone helped in Sunday school to the degree you do, would the church be bigger, stronger, and healthier? Or would we be meeting in the park at Picnic Table Number Three? It’s a very important question because that which each of us does or doesn’t do affects the rest of us very definitely.

1 Peter 5:4

If you’re an exampleif you’re feeding people and caring for themthe day is coming when all of those things that were unnoticed will be greatly rewarded. A time is coming when all of the things I have done are going to be tested by fire. I will stand before the Lord, realizing I could have given more generously and served more freely. The crowns of which Peter speaks are not just to parade around in. No, they are to cast at Jesus’ feet in gratitude and adorationas well as determining our function in eternity. If you’re tired of where you’re at now, be one who says, “I might not be where I wanted to be on earth, but I’m praying, giving, worshiping and serving as if the chief shepherd is coming. My efforts will be known to Him, and I will be fulfilled in ways I never was on earth.”

1 Peter 5:5

Peter reminds us we are called to humility. Humility means that even if the elder over mebe it Mom and Dad, or the spiritual brothers overseeing my ministrymakes the wrong decision, I must be the right person. This applies to marriage, parenting, church, the job siteanywhere people are. Our responsibility is not to make sure that those in authority over us make the right decision. Our responsibility is to make sure we’re the right people. Why? Read on. Those who are humble will be exalted. Immediately? No. They will be exalted in due time, at the perfect time.

1 Peter 5:7

The Greek word epirrhihipto, translated “casting,” is interesting because it means to roll something that will most likely roll back upon you. Have you found that after casting your care on the Lord, you feel okay for a day or two, but then the burden rolls right back on you? If so, know that’s the way of the Lord. Why? He wants us to stay in close touch with Him, and if we cast our care upon Him never to feel the pressure, the anxiety, the tension, the worry again, we would not be people who pray. You see, the Father wants to do something bigger than merely taking our burdens from us. He wants to develop a relationship with us. Thus, the burdens and struggles that repeatedly roll upon us cause us to become linked to Him in continual prayer. That’s infinitely more important than the solution to the burden for which we were praying in the first place. So cast your care upon Himand keep doing it over and over and over again, knowing how deeply He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:8

Even as you cast your care upon God, know the Enemy is out to destroy you. Running to the Roar A Topical Study of 1Pe_5:8-9 Of all the disciples, the most relatableat least to meis Simon Peter, the fisherman from Galilee. How right Jesus was when, seeing Peter sleeping in the Garden of Gethsemane, He said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (see Mat_26:41). I think that’s why we readily identify with Peter. “Follow Me,” Jesus said when He first called Peter. Peter dropped his nets on the spot. Three years later, after being with Jesus daily, we see Peter still followingbut now from afar (see Mat_26:58). “If it’s You, Lord, beckon me to come,” Peter cried in the midst of the storm. When Jesus did, Peter miraculously walked on wateruntil he took his eyes off the Lord and began to sink (see Mat_14:30). “Thou art the Christos, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God,” Peter declared. Five verses later, Peter opposes Jesus to such a degree that Jesus calls him Satan (see Mat_16:23). That’s why I can relate to Peter. “Follow Me,” Jesus said, but Peter followed from a distance. “Walk on water,” Jesus said. Peter sank. “You are the Christ,” Peter said boldly, but he argued with Jesus anyway. Peter had such great moments, followed by such deep defeats. His heart was willing, but his flesh was weak. It shouldn’t surprise us that Peter went through those kinds of times. After all, Jesus had told him directly, “Satan desires to sift you like wheat, to grind you up, to wipe you out. I have prayed for you, Peter, and when you are convertednot if but when you make it throughstrengthen the brethren” (see Luk_22:32). Guess what. In our text, Peter’s doing just that, for we’re sitting here almost two thousand years later, listening to Peter telling us to be sober and vigilant because our adversary, the devil, goes about as a roaring lion. Peter would say to us, “I’ve been there. I desired to walk with, be used by, and be faithful to the Lord. He was right when He told me Satan was trying to sift me like wheat. Our adversary is real.” “Why does Satan want to pick on me?” you ask. Many theories have been presented concerning what motivates our adversary. Among them is the hostage theory that says that Satan seeks to gather as many people as possible into his kingdom of death and darkness in order to use them as a bargaining chip with the Father at the end of time, saying, “These people are in my domain. I will let them go if You let me go.” Although there are some obscure references to this in the Word, I don’t personally believe this to be true. Why does Satan bother with us? I think he simply does it because of his perverse nature. I think he’s doing just what we do in our own perversity. There you arestanding by the edge of the poolwhen out of the corner of your eye, you see a group of guys headed your way. By the look on their faces, you know what they’re about to do. Because you’re perverse and depraved, what do you do? You do just what I do. You say, “If I’m going in, you’re going too,” as you grab as many arms and legs as you can. Because Satan is innately perverse, I believe he’s grabbing as many people as he can to pull into the lake of fire with him. “I’ve already given my heart to Jesus,” you say, “so why would Satan pick on me when he knows he’s already lost me?” Although he can’t take you to hell, he can make you feel so discouraged, so defeated in your own walk that you won’t be able to effectively impact others for the kingdom. Peter was firmly in the camp of the Lord, yet Satan came against him just as Jesus said he would. Peter, however, made it through. And you can, too. How? Peter gives a singular answer when he tells us we are not to run, but to resist; we are not to fear, but to resist; we are not to give in, but to resist. James says the same thing when he says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (1Pe_4:7). Inspired by the same Spirit, James and Peter are in agreement concerning the strategy of dealing with Satan. Because we have the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the breastplate of righteousness, our loins girded with truth, and the gospel of peace for shoes, there is only one part of our anatomy vulnerable to the Enemy: our backs (Eph_6:13-17). Why? It’s never the strategy of the Lord to run from the Enemy. Rather, we are equipped to resist and even attack with such power that not even the gates of hell can withstand the onslaught (Mat_16:18). We have an Enemy who wants to take us down, wipe us out, make us miserable, and nullify our effectiveness. Peter calls this one a roaring lion. The roaring lion, known in Bible times and even to this day, is the king of the pride of lionsnot because he is the most powerful lion in the family, but because of what he once was. You see, the roaring lion is the oldest lion in the pride. His teeth are worn. His feet are slow. He’s not as quick as he once was, nor as powerful as he used to be. Therefore, his assignment is to hide in the grass until an unsuspecting impala or deer comes walking through. Then he is to stand up and roar. Hearing this, the deer or impala runs away from the roar of the lionright to the place where all of the young, virile lions are waiting. In so doing, he runs to his death. If you could give counsel to the impala or the deer in the savannahs of Africa, you’d say, “If you walk through a grassy area and hear a roar, whatever you do, don’t run. Don’t be afraid. Just go toward the roar. Resist, resist, resist. Don’t run.” The devil is a roaring lion. He had his teeth kicked out at Calvary. Yet he can still roar. “YOU’RE GOING TO FAIL,” he roars, and we run right into failure. “YOU’RE GOING TO GIVE IN,” he roars, and we do just that. So how are we to withstand his roars? The Old Testament picture of what it means to resist rather than run is found in 2 Samuel. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts…2Sa_23:20 (a) Benaiah, whose name literally means “built by God,” was one of David’s mighty men who stood by and traveled with him. …he slew two lionlike men of Moab…2Sa_23:20 (b) Benaiah took on a couple of strong, bushy-bearded or long-haired men of Moab. …he went down also and slew a lion…2Sa_23:20 (c) After doing battle with lionlike men, Benaiah was ready to take on the lion itself. I find it to be true oh, so often, that the temptations, difficulties or challenges that come my way in any given day are simply to prepare me for the battles coming eventually. …in the midst of a pit in time of snow.2Sa_23:20 (d) Maybe you’ve felt cold in your spirit recently. What did Benaiah do at such a time? He went on the offensive and went into the pit itself to deal with the lion directly. Even in the snowy times, on a cold day, he attacked the Enemy. And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man…2Sa_23:21 (a) Being an Egyptian meant this man was a type of the world. Being a “goodly man” meant that he was a big guy. …and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.2Sa_23:21 (b) After being prepared by battling the lionlike men and the lion in the pit, Benaiah now takes on a big chunk of the world and kills him with his own spear. In this brief vignette, I begin to understand what it means to resist the devil. I begin to realize that the skirmishes I’m going through presently are preparatory for what is headed my way in the snowy day. I realize my call is to go into the pit itself, to storm the gates of hell and do battle with the Enemy. “I try to battle the Enemy,” you say, “but I lose every time. I have such a terrible time with my thought life. I’m driving down the street, worshiping the Lord when suddenly a lady gets out of her car and walks down the street. My mind strays, leaving me wondering where in the world those thoughts come from.” Those thoughts don’t come from the world. They are fiery darts shot in your direction from hell itself in an attempt by the Enemy to discourage, depress, and defeat you. Someone else says, “What can I do? It seems like whenever I’m with the girls and I just want to talk about the Lord, the conversation centers on gossip. I try not to get caught up in it, but it just seems to take control of the moment and I succumb.” Simply telling people not to think about lust or gossip is about as effective as telling you not to think about a pink elephant. The harder you try not to think about something, the more you will! Telling people to put depression, gossip, lust, or whatever else they struggle with out of their minds will only lead to frustration because it can’t be done. What are we to do? Follow the Benaiah model. Resist Satan by going into the pit itself, by taking the weapon of the Egyptian and turning it against him. How? You’re driving down the road and your mind is playing games with you. Here’s what to do: Go on the offensive. Say to the Enemy, “I’m going to run right in your direction. Go ahead and fire that arrow at me as much as you want. Put those thoughts in my mind. Play those games. I want you to know, however, that every time you fire one of those arrows into my mind, I’m not going to come down on myself or try to talk myself out of thinking about a pink elephant. I’m simply going to take that same arrow and turn it against you. I’m going to pray for fifteen people I know who also struggle with this difficulty. Take that.” What happens? The Enemy begins to see that every time he fires one of his arrows at you, he inadvertently causes you to pray for others. Since prayer binds Satan, he suddenly realizes his plan is backfiring and he flees. “I’m so depressed,” you say. What do you do? Grab the weapon of the Enemy and turn it against him. Go into the pit and say, “You can depress me as much as you wish, but every time you do, Satan, I am going to stop what I’m doing, and, by faith, give thanks to God for all the good things He’s done for me. I’m going to worship Him.” Now, because Satan used to be the worship leader in heaven before being demoted to a snake in the dust, the sound of worship is like fingernails on a chalkboard in his ears. So he flees. “I just can’t quit gossiping,” you say. You can if you go on the offensive and say ten good things about the person whose name has come up in the conversation. Seeing that tempting you to tear people down only results in you building them up will send Satan running every time. To resist the devil doesn’t mean you try to ignore the reality of the temptation. It means you take the very weapon fired against you and turn it against Satan through intercession, worship, or praise. Do that and Satan will flee from you. He’ll leave you aloneat least for a season. How do I know? That’s what Jesus did. When the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the Enemy, Satan came to Him, trying to get Him to doubt the character, the provision, and the plan of the Father. What did Jesus do? Did He run? No, He gave Satan a Bible study each time the lion came His way (Mat_4:4-10). I don’t know what your area of vulnerability is. I don’t know where the roaring lion yells at you. This I do know: Whatever your area of weakness, don’t run from it. Be Benaiah. Take the offensive. Resist. Peter was a man who dealt with the Enemy. Now he comes with this word to strengthen you and me. Run toward the roar and watch the toothless old lion flee.

1 Peter 5:10

As both a pastor and a parent, I go through the previous nine verses and realize how greatly I have failed and how far short I fall of this standard. That’s why I believe verse ten is the key to this whole section. You see, the Christian life is all about grace. No one knew this better than Peter. In verse 1 Peter declared himself a witness of the sufferings of Christ. Yet when we read the Gospel account, we see that Peter was not present when Christ was led away to be tried by Caiaphas. He was following far off in the shadows. When Christ was on the Cross, he viewed His suffering from a distance, if at all, for of all the disciples, only John was at the foot of the Cross (Joh_19:26). Peter also says he was a partaker of glory. He fails to mention, however, that he was reprimanded by God for placing Jesus on the same plane as Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mat_17:5). In verse 1Pe_5:2, Peter says pastors are to feed the flock of God. Yet when he initially heard these words, Peter wasn’t waiting for the empowering of the Spirit with God’s people as he was supposed to be. Instead, he was fishing on the Sea of Galilee (Joh_21:3). Peter also tells pastors not to be lazy. When Jesus asked Peter to pray with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, what did Peter do? He fell asleep (Mar_14:37). In verse 1Pe_5:3, Peter tells us we are not to be lords over God’s heritage. We are to be an example. Yet in the garden, what did Peter do? Far from being an example, he took out a sword and chopped off the ear of Malchus (Mar_14:47). “Submit yourself unto the elder,” Peter says in verse 1Pe_5:5. When Jesus said He had to suffer many things in Jerusalem, Peter rebuked Jesus, saying, “Be it far from thee, Lord” (see Mat_16:22). Submission? Hardly. Peter went on to say we are to be clothed with humility. Yet as he sat in the Upper Room with the other disciples, it was not Peter but Jesus who humbled Himself to wash feet (Joh_13:3-4). In verse 1Pe_5:7, Peter tells us we are to cast our care upon God. It is an interesting choice of words, for when Jesus told Peter to cast his net on the other side of the boat, Peter was fishing for fish rather than fishing for men as he had been called to do (Mat_4:19; Joh_21:6). In verses 1Pe_5:8-9, Peter tells us to be sober and vigilant in light of our adversary. Yet when Jesus warned him that Satan desired to sift him like wheat, what did Peter say? “Not me, Lord. I am ready to go to prison with You. These other guys might fail you, but You can count on me.” Hours later, seduced by Satan, Peter denied Jesus three times (Mat_26:69-74). Peter failed at every point. But here’s the good newshe was used mightily even after all his failings, because he understood that which he shares with us in verse 1Pe_5:10: It’s not impeccability that is necessary. It’s “teachability.” I have failed. You have failed. Yet if, like Peter, we learn lessons from our failures, we can speak with authority. We can say to others, “I’ve been there. I’ve done that. I’ve made mistakes. You don’t have to.” If as a dad or mom, a Sunday-school teacher, elder, or leader at work, you are aware of your shortcomings, if you’re not careful, you will think they disqualify you from sharing with others. Take hope from Peter. He failed at every point. Yet when he learned his lesson, he didn’t fall again. It’s God’s grace that will establish, settle, and strengthen you as long as you learn the lessons God has for you.

1 Peter 5:12

No doubt Marcus is John Mark, who, after failing in a previous missionary endeavor (Act_13:13), was later encouraged by Barnabas and went on to be useful to both Peter and Paul (2Ti_4:11).

1 Peter 5:14

To a people going through persecution, Peter ends his letter not with a promise of ease, but with a benediction of peace, knowing that harder times were ahead.