1 Peter 5
McGeeCHAPTER 5THEME: Suffering and the second coming of Christ produce service and hope, humility and patience
1 Peter 5:1
SUFFERING AND THE SECOND COMING OF CHRISTIn this final chapter of 1 Peter, suffering and the second coming of Christ are brought together. What is the relation of our suffering to the second coming of Christ? The Christian life began for each of us with the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross where He bore the penalty of our sins. There is also suffering in the life of the child of God today because God uses suffering in our lives to sharpen us and to make us the kind of Christians that He wants and that He can use. I have divided this chapter into two sections: Verses 1Pe_5:1-4 teach that suffering produces service and hope; verses 1Pe_5:5-14 teach that suffering produces humility and patience. We have, therefore, the suffering of Christ in the past and the present suffering of the saints, and then we have the second coming of Christ. Every Christian ought to have the second coming of Christ in his plan and his program for the future. We are often told that we need to have a life plan. Is the second coming of Christwhen He comes to take you out of the world and then returns with you to reign on the eartha part of your program? Or is it some ethereal, ephemeral thing which hangs out there in space like a will-o’-the-wisp that really has no meaning in your life at all? His second coming is not just a doctrine; it is something which enters into our lives.
There is nothing which will buoy you up in time of trouble and suffering like the reality of the second coming of Christ. I am going to see Him some day; I am going to come into His presence! What a time of real blessing that will be, and Peter tells us that our present suffering is related to that. SUFFERING PRODUCES SERVICE AND HOPEPeter begins by asserting his position; however, he doesn’t call himself even an apostle here. He is speaking of the fact that he is an elder"who am also an elder." That means there were other men who were elders. The Greek word used here, presbuteros, is a word which is sometimes used in speaking of a person being an elder or elder person. The Greek word which is translated “bishop” is episkopos and it speaks of the office of the man, not the person of the man. It is the spiritual office of shepherding; the same word is used for “shepherd.” This is all that Simon Peter ever claimed to behe calls himself a fellow elder. He never claimed a superior place above his brethren, but as a fellow elder he exhorts them. “And a witness of the sufferings of Christ.” Peter was in a unique position because he was a witness of the sufferings of Christ. “And also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.” In the past Peter saw that glory. In his second epistle, Peter identifies this as taking place on the Mount of Transfiguration. Peter saw Him die yonder on Mount Calvary, and he saw Him transfigured yonder on the Mount of Transfiguration. That mount was probably in the north, and I have always felt that Mount Hermon could have been the place, although the geographical location is not important. What took place there is important, and Peter says that he was a witness of it. However, there is a glory that is coming in the future which will be greater than that"the glory that shall be revealed."
1 Peter 5:2
Peter is emphasizing the fact that an elder, occupying the office of a bishop (elders are never spoken of in the singular, there was never to be only one), is to be the shepherd of a flock. Shepherding suggests provision and protection, supervision and discipline, instruction and direction. The ministry of an elder is to be performed in a very positive way, but Peter also gives a negative injunction. First of all, Peter says that elders are to minister for the right reason, in the right spirit, not because they must do it but because they freely choose to do so. Will you notice what he says: “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly.” Do it willingly. God doesn’t want you to take an office in the church in this pouting spirit: “Well, if you can’t get anybody else to do it, I’ll do it.” My friend, don’t you do it, because that is not the reason to serve Him. There is no value in serving Him if you are doing it under constraint. “Not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind.” Peter makes it clear that there must not only be the right reasonthe right spirit, because they freely choose to servebut there must also be the right motive for service. It is not to be for material gain but for the sheer delight of doing it. An elder is to find satisfaction in the job itself rather than in what he gets out of it. A number of years ago my daughter and I were driving the freeway into Los Angeles together since she also had a job with the church that I was then serving as pastor. As usual, we got stuck in the traffic on the freeway. I said to her, “Look around at these people. Do you see anybody who looks happy? There they sit, under tension and pressure, trying to get to a job which they despise. Most people today are doing a job they do not like to do at all. It’s wonderful to be in the Lord’s service where you can do your job because you love to do it and you want to do it.” That has made the ministry of teaching the Word of God a sheer joy to me. Simon Peter says that there must be a right motive in Christian service.
1 Peter 5:3
In other words, an elder should exercise his ministry in the right manner, not driving but leading, not domineering but setting an exampIe. It is a work, therefore, in which he ought to be an example to the flock. I do not think that a preacher should get into the pulpit and browbeat his congregation to do something that he actually is not doing himself. I made it a practice never to ask my congregation to give to any cause to which I didn’t also give. I do not think we have a right to make a demand of other folk that we are not doing ourselves.
1 Peter 5:4
An elder’s ministry should be done with the proper awareness that he serves the Chief Shepherd to whom he is answerable and who will Himself reward his service with rewards which are eternal. Don’t get the impression that we are working for nothing. We are not. Paul made it clear that a Christian is not to work for nothing. You are to work for Him and look to Him for a reward some day. That is the way we are to serve Him. “Ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” There are many crowns mentioned in Scripture, including the crown of life and the crown of righteousness. What is a crown of glory? I believe that it means we are going to share some day in His glory. In a study I made many years ago, I found about a dozen different words in the Old Testament which were translated by the word glory. Glory is a word that is often used today. What do you understand by the word glory? How big is glory? What shape is it? What color it is? What is glory? I suspect that the average Christian would have nothing but the foggiest notion about the meaning of glory. I have found that glory does have shape and size. Listen to the Word of God: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork” (Psa_19:1). The size of the universe, as determined by our scientific measurements, is staggering yet is probably only the front yard of God’s great universe. That is glorythe greatness of our God. What about the color of glory? Look up at this vast universe at night; look up at the sky. And look at the earth. In the fall, especially if you live in New England, take a good look at the leaves on the trees. It is wonderful to be in that part of the country and to see all the color. That’s glorythe glory of God. I know a retired man who lives here in Southern California, and he raises some of the most beautiful roses and zinnias I have ever seen. Oh, are they colorful! One time while I was visiting him in his garden, he reached down and lifted up the head of one of those zinnias, and he said, “In the springtime I simply put a little seed in the ground. Look at what has come up! And then they try to tell me there is no God!” Glory has color, my friend. May I say to you, God’s glory is something that is quite wonderful and we are going to share in that some day. He calls it a crown of glory. Peter calls Him “the chief Shepherd” here. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheepthat is seen in Psalms 22. The Great Shepherd watches over the sheepthat is seen in Psalms 23. In Psalms 24 He is the Chief Shepherd who is coming again. Some day our Chief Shepherd is going to appear, and He will still have with Him His flock, and we will be members of that flock. How wonderful this is!
1 Peter 5:5
SUFFERING PRODUCES HUMILITY AND PATIENCE"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder." This has been reversed in our daytoday the elder is supposed to submit to the younger. Young people are the ones who are protesting, and they are the ones who want to discard the establishment. However, the Christian young person needs to realize that the Word of God says, “Ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.” After all, your father, if you have a good or a godly father, has a lot of sense and maybe more sense than you have. A friend of mine told me, “I was ashamed of my dad at the time when I went away to college. Although he had made good money, and he was an executive, I was ashamed of him. He had such old-fashioned ideas; he was a real square. When I finished college and got out in the business world, I didn’t see him for a couple of years. When I did see him again, I was absolutely amazed to see how much he’d learned in just six years!” A lot of young people find out, after they themselves have been out in the school of hard knocks for awhile, that their dads have learned a great deal. “Yea, all of you be subject one to another.” In other words, believers should not insist on having their way over others. “And be clothed with humility.” Actually, we are to be armed with it; that is the picture that is given here. “For God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.” Peter has talked a great deal about humility and about grace. A proud person will not be able to experience the grace of God. It is only when you and I come in humility that we will be able to grow the grace of God. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” In view of the coming of Christ, humility should be the attitude of the child of God. Christ is the one who will establish justice and make things right when He comes. You cannot straighten out this world, although you may think you can.
1 Peter 5:7
“He careth for you” literally means that it matters to Him concerning you. Peter is talking about anxiety. The Lord Jesus said, “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will rest you” (see Mat_11:28). Bring your burden of sins to Him, and He will save you. Then come to Him later on, and He will meet you and help you with your problems. Cast your care upon Him. Paul told the Philippian believers, “Worry about nothing; pray about everything.” That is, take it to the Lord in prayer, and leave it theredon’t pick it up again.
1 Peter 5:8
The word sober is from a different Greek word than that used in 1Pe_4:7. Here the word means “to be watchful.” “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” We are told to resist Satan; the Devil is loose in the world today.
1 Peter 5:9
“Whom resist stedfast in the faith.” The picture here is of an army standing against an enemy. We should stand with other believers. I do not think you can resist the Devil by yourself. You not only need the armor of God, but you will also need other believers to stand with you. That is the reason that whenever I have need, I let all the listeners to my radio broadcast know about it. I want them to stand with me in prayerwe need to do that. “Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
1 Peter 5:10
“But the God of all grace. who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus"that is, “in Christ Jesus.” We will have no glory in ourselves. The church is sort of like the moon which simply reflects the light of the sun. Our glory will be only reflected glory, but we in Christ are going to share in that glory. Actually, the word Jesus is not in the better manuscripts; rather, this is that phrase which we often find in the New Testament"in Christ.” “After that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect"that is, bring you to perfection. “Stablish, strengthen"the Lord Jesus told Simon Peter to strengthen the brethren (see Luk_22:32). “Settle you"that means to restore you.
1 Peter 5:11
This is the benediction. And then Peter adds a little P.S.
1 Peter 5:12
Peter is the author, but Silvanus wrote this for him. If you don’t like the quality of the Greek here, blame Silvanus.
1 Peter 5:13
“The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you.” I think “Babylon” here means Babylon, although some think it is a figurative name for Rome. Simon Peter is too practical to have used a figurative term. “And so doth Marcus my son.” Marcus is John Mark, the writer of the Gospel of Mark, who was not Peter’s natural son but his son in the faith. Although at one time Paul would not take him along on a missionary journey, Mark made good.
1 Peter 5:14
“Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity.” Someone has said, “A kiss to a young girl is hope, to a married woman is faith, but to an old maid is charity.” In our country and culture, I think we had better just use the handshake as the means of Christian greeting. This is Peter’s final benediction: “Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.”