Introduction: Well, I feel the weight of this passage for myself…preach to yourself first…Peter has given his instructions and as is common letters end with a word to the Leaders before final greetings…

Read: 1 Peter 5:1–5 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: [2] shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; [3] not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. [4] And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. [5] Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Prayer of Illumination

· Intro: Jesus and disciples “who will be the greatest”

o After Presidential primary – Who is going to be the VP?

o Alexander the Great’s successor? Some have attempted to mitigate with “Co-Ceasers” with a Sr. and Jr.

· The principle of Jesus and the bible is that Jesus is King. Christ is the Head of his Church (Eph. & Col). And that he fulfills the fact that there is a singular king in Israel, he is the Son of David. The only who is sitting on any throne.

· The bible calls leaders to be humble, joyful examples to the flock who, as a “plurality, a group” exercise authority.

o This means the leadership of God’s church is by more than one Elder, he is chosen from among you, and even Peter and apostle humbly calls himself a fellow elder because he knows this is the normal abiding direction the Church government is headed. As the age of apostles closes, he humbly acts in the ordinary way towards them even as he holds an extraordinary office.

o A group having Elders is in many ways a very ordinary thing if you survey the OT; they existed in Israel, they sat in the city gate, they did many things that any town leader would do. And in the synagogues, spiritual leadership involved elders. So a council of mature and godly men giving leadership to the church has continuity in the OT and NT.

#1 The Message of Elders (v.1)

#2 How Elders Lead the Church (“Mechanics of Elders” if you want the alliteration) v. 1-4

#3 Humble Leading and Following v. 5

#1 The Message of Elders

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed

· Being an Elder means continuing to bear witness to Christ by teaching the Bible and by teaching the Gospel.

· Elders are to pass on the Apostolic Message of Peter and the other apostles. The message of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; that Christ will return again.

· Elders teach and disciple God’s people; gathering the Church around the word of God which equips the church to be mature, godly, and prepared for the return of Christ.

· This is what Paul is saying in Ephesians 4 he gave pastors and he gave the shepherds and teachers. To shepherd the people is to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ

· The job of the elders in shepherding is to ensure that we might know Christ, that we might mature in faith in Christ, and so be equipped to minister to one another, and the gospel will be supported and go forth…Jesus expresses this to Peter as “feed my Sheep” in John 21. Word, Prayer, and Sacraments are the tools of feeding Christ gives.

· So Elders are guardians of the good deposit. Being a pillar and buttress of the truth. Teaching the whole counsel of God.

· Peter the Apostle calls himself a WITNESS. He does not create teaching, he does not invent religion; he WITNESSES to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the word made flesh, and he writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that the Scriptures might be complete witnesses to the full and final revelation of the Father and the final revelation of God’s plan of salvation.

· And so the apostolic witness does not go to a single pope, or a magisterium.

· No, it is written in the scriptures for the public to see and for many elders to proclaim to people publicly in their own languages.

· So #1 That’s the message of an Elder

#2 How Elders Lead God’s Church

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed Verse 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight

Lets unpack the nuts and bolts of the bibles teaching on the office of Elder.

Note Peter, humbly calls himself a fellow elder. Certainly he is an Apostle, but he is preparing the way for once apostls cease (Eph. 2:20) for Elders to lead God’s people. Elders who are simply chosen among their brethren because they meet the character qualifications of scripture which are found in 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1.

Peter’s humble appeal to elders plural as a humbe fellow elder reminds us FIRSTLY that, the Church has only one Head, the Lord Jesus: Colossians 1:18 (ESV) – “And he [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”

o Not a pope, not the archbishop of canterbury.

o AND NOT, if you zoom in to the local church, I am not, nor is any famous pastor the singular “Head” or little Pope of an Individual Church.

o It is clear throughout the new testament, The pattern is, appoint elders, plural in all the churches. You could look in (Acts 14, 20, Phil. 1:1 but a good place is Titus 1:5-9 because it teaches us two things that Jesus calls Churches to have a plurality of Elders & That Elders and Bishops are identical in the Bible…Titus 1:5…This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—[6] if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. [7] For an overseer [aka bishop], as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, [8] but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. [9] He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

o A Church being put into good order has elders in it and they ought to be men of good character, faithful to their wives etcetera.

o The Word Elder is “presbyteros” so elders are often called Presbyters, its where we get the word Presbyterian from Presbyterians are multi-Elder lead churches who we see in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem council elders gathered from multiple churches to have form a regional council to decide controversial matters that affect multiple churches.

o Both presbyterians and Baptists point out that Paul speaks of an Elder as being an Overseer, which is the word Episkopos or “Bishop” as the same person.

· Therefore, scripturally, a Bishop is not over a group of pastors, he is not a man who rules a whole region like a King of Pastors. No, a bishop is simply an Elder (St. Jerome Agreed)

§ …And Paul in Timothy basically says there are some Elder who Rule and Teach, and some Elders who labor primarily in preaching and Teaching who we call pastors and minister who are. BUT I do not get any more votes than Kirby or BL.

· Recall, the context of 1 Peter 5, Peter is giving instructions for sojourners, for pilgrims.

o If you grew up in a town and you are just a native to an area you probably hardly think about who your leaders are; they just are who they have been.

o But notice all the TV dramas like LOST where you are in a survival situation. All the TV dramas focus on WHO IS THE LEADER. What should they be doing. How should we structure our leadership? So it makes sense that Peter, who has been talking of suffering and has just mentioned the need for the Household of God to live Holy lives to ask the question what of our LEADERS.

o In this situation, we pray for Jesus the great and Chief Shepherd to appoint and gift Under-shepherds.

· But you notice that in TV dramas there are many ways leaders happen? Often it is through seizing Power. Imagine if all of a sudden The state, THE Governor was appointing your Mayor, Sherriff, and School board.

o Well as Americans you would say – that is not REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT. You want the right to select, your leaders!

· So in keeping with 1 Peter, Presbyterians have always said verse one: elders are from among you. Elders throughout the bible have always been selected from the people.

o In Acts 1, in order to replace Judas among the apostles it is the PEOPLE who “put forward” and nominate men from among them.

o Part of the protestant reformation was the right to raise up and appoint elders from among the congregation and for the congregation itself to select their Teaching Elder (pastor).

o You can see how the US as a– representative government mirrors scripture here.

o So we see the right of the people to select AND REMOVE pastors is sacred See BCO Chapter 23 and your rights there.

What does Peter Call the Elders to? V.2

· Elders are to shepherd by pointing to Christ, his sufferings and glory, they are to faithfully teach the whole word of God, to give godly wisdom and counsel and to say difficult truths when needed.

· But Elders are not just like a prophet saying difficult truths…

· They are shepherd-overseers. (or pastor-bishops).

o Very briefly elders ought to know their people, care for, and love their people not because anyone made them, but joyfully, eagerly.

o Not because of the money (a constant problem in every century).

o Not because of status and ego

o Not out of self-righteousness or a need to boss people around and micro-manage their days.

· But because of love for souls, to be involved from birth, life, marriage, ups and downs, strong faith, weak faith, seasons of growth in godliness, seasons of rejoicing and weeping, and seasons where sin seems undefeatable, and it looks like darkness will win.

o Praise God for men like Kirby and BL who have known and loved you for many years. Who have sat with you through those many seasons.

o Praise God for BLs zeal and example to “tolle lege” take up and read and wonder at the whole counsel of God applied to all of life.

o Praise God for Kirby’s steady kindness and wisdom.

o At our session meetings, I have been delighted to hear him pray. And I know he prays for you. That is an example.

· And Christ the Chief Shepherd I know has an unfading crown of glory for many men like this.

o One of my delights is as I have moved around the country, is seeing almost these “copy and paste” men who serve as elders. Not because they aren’t unique individuals but because they all have the Same Holy Spirit, have been gifted and equipped by Christ and have followed the same Jesus for so many years of their life.

o God blesses with not every elder being the same, but it’s the same Christ.

o And this happens all over the world.

o Not just for elders but for all believers, you have brothers and sisters around the world, and you can tell they have all been taught by the same Christ, the same word, and the same Spirit in their hearts and minds.

o Praise God, he has given us faithful Men to lead the Church.

· Now…..The Church is a hospital for sinners…AND we know as we survey the american church landscape that there are men who have become…domineering, arrogant,and false wolves. It grieves me. Men who believe they are infallible. Or they are unable to stumble and fall, and there is an arrogance there.

o Brothers and sisters, if you have followed a celebrity pastor and they fell, or even closer…then yes you know, pastors are merely men, flesh and blood.

o So remember, Jesus is your ultimate King, he will not fail you, he does not grow tire of strengthening and sustaining you, he is gentle and lowly, and also the king who defends you.

o Do not trust in princes…do not trust in an ultimate sense in pastors…

o Pray for faithful Elders for Christ’s church…but your Faith, your hope, your love is in Christ.

§ In Heaven, you will be before his throne and it will be beautiful and I know many very frail but faithful elders will have much to apologize for

§ and there will be many wolves Judged as false men, false shepherds. Justice will happen to the unbelieving wolf, and a reconciling forgiveness will happen between elders and failed flock at times.

§ Please remember your Faith is in Christ. He loves you. He will never, fail you.

#3 Humble leading and Following: Be Subject to the Elders, giving Mutual Humility Towards one another

Verse 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (ESV)

Third point…You saw it coming. Young people…I hope you have men and women in your life who have said…Being a teenager doesn’t mean you get to stop listening, honoring, and obeying your parents for five years….Parent and Child in the family is the first authority relationships in life.

Your relationship to the Government like a police-officer is the third relationship it is a civil and physical authority…It is much less one of love, like your parents, right?

But between Family and Government, there is the Church Family. And God has given you Elders in the faith a relationship of loving authority. If you are a church member, we have actually exchanged vows.

Elders vow to believe the scriptures, accept the Westminster standards, the way the church is governed, and Do you accept the office of ruling elder (or deacon, or minister) in this church, and promise faithfully to perform all the duties thereof, and to endeavor by the grace of God to adorn the profession of the Gospel in your life, and to set a worthy example before the Church of which God has made you an officer? Do you promise subjection to your brethren in the Lord? Do you promise to strive for the purity, peace, unity and edification of the Church?

Church members answer this vow, Do you, the members of this church, acknowledge and receive this brother as a ruling elder (or deacon), and do you promise to yield him all that honor, encouragement, and obedience in the Lord to which his office, according to the Word of God and the Constitution of this Church, entitles him?

Therefore Verse 5 calls us to this

What might this look like?

A) We Submit ourselves to the purity and peace of the church through the leadership of the Church

Humility sees there are so many areas of Church life that are wisdom calls and humility goes a long way, and by God’s grace there is real shepherding, oversight, example, and looking to Christ by the Word and Spirit for guidance.

B) This might be humbly seeking spiritual input with the elders, discussing way you are seeking to grow in the Lord

C) This may mean mutual humility to talk through an area of your life to see if it is just a matter of wisdom, foolishness, or even sin. Elders should never go on preference crusades, but if something has the authority of “thus sayeth the Lord behind it” then Matthew 18 applies. Humbly going to someone as a shepherd and reclaiming that sheep.

D) Allowing Humble input continues into adulthood. I was a College Campus ministry intern, and I think RUFs bible studies and preaching were pretty amazing…College students wowed by Reformational theology and the connection of the OT and NT are ready to hop ship, and I usually told them to go back to their home church and ask them, “Why do we believe what we believe?” Give first and second chance to the tradition you were raised in that you received from your elders…then…come back and we can talk. Our ultimate allegiance is to what we believe the word of God says, but humble love of our elders means asking, “Why did my parents raise me this way?” “why did my elders, both spiritual elders and grandparents teach and guide me this way?”

Again with humility, we test these things not by the world’s judgement but by the Word

Finally, notice in verse 5 it is humility to “one another” – the humility actually goes both ways. Humble leading and Humble following. And an awareness that any prideful stopping of the ears to counsel or any prideful and arrogant dishing out of counsel. God opposes.

So how should you respond?

Prayer…

1) Pray for your elders, pray for me, BL, and Kirby, pray for all the officers the deacons as well they have to make decisions to be followed as well, and there are many mercy ministry decisions at times that take wisdom and humility. So pray for your church officers.

2) Pray for God to raise of new pastors, elders, and deacons both here and around the nation. Many pastors are retiring pulpits need to be filled.

3) Pray for me, I am young, just turned 33 today. But I need strength, wisdom, courage, and the Holy Spirit to ensure both humility and love and boldness to be my Guide and that I would point you to Christ, your faithful chief shepherd.

4) Pray for yourself to be able to discern what is scriptural counsel and is good and wise and receive it from your leaders. And the wisdom to discern if there is error, or this is the difficult one it’s the level of OPINION…maybe wise opinion.

5) So if the elders have a split vote. That’s the decision and it becomes my decision as well. Pride says how dare we do X instead of Y. How dare we meet at x time instead of y time. And you can slowly raise the level of importance there…

a. Which slowly raises our response from, humble acceptance, to maybe a conversation about why a decision was made, to I want to formally ask the session to change that decision, to you have rights and appeal authority to presbytery to say it wasn’t just opinion the leaders are in sin. And you in fact have the right to appeal presbytery to the national court…and then well you just have your conscience before the Lord either way that decision went.

b. Mutual Humility and Love covers a multitude of sins…Christ give us grace to know when we are standing on Unity and when we are standing on Truth and Loving Appeal to remedy a problem. There are courts of appeal in Presbyterianism praise God. But even the best systems need love and humility in application.

Alright…All that being said. Praise the Lord, that he is our high priest and shepherd, He is our savior who like a shepherd leads us, he does not fail us, praise God he gives the gift of leaders who are all different in gifts but have the same Holy Spirit, and praise God that from the entire context of first Peter we have a living hope, a certain heavenly inheritance, in the words of the hymn write We are Bound for the Promised Land.

On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand,And cast a wishful eyeTo Canaan’s fair and happy land,Where my possessions lie.We are bound for the promised land,

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesensley.substack.com