Our scripture reading this morning will come from 1 Peter chapter 5. We'll read the first five verses of 1 Peter 5. That's on page 1016 in your pew bibles. Hear now the word of the Lord from the fifth chapter of the first book of Peter. 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, 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, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory, Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourself, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Thus we've read the first five verses of 1 Peter chapter 5. Let us go to the Lord now in prayer. Gracious Lord in heaven, we confess that what we have read is your holy word. That it's inspired by you, that it comes from you. And Lord, we ask that you would bless the reading of your word, that it would glorify your name, and that your people would be edified. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Peter here is beginning to give some final instructions in his letter. bringing the themes he's been working on throughout the book to bear on these last few subjects, and he begins this by speaking to the elders of the church. He's just told us that judgment begins with the household of God, and so he starts with the household of God, and the leaders of that household of God with these final instructions, as he says to the elders. to exercise their oversight, to shepherd the flock of God. But notice as he starts this here, that he refers to himself as a fellow elder. That Peter considers himself an equal to those elders to whom he's writing. That he himself shares that office. He's a fellow elder. And he's also a witness to the suffering of Christ. Yes, he is an apostle. He was one of the disciples. He was an eyewitness. But he's also a fellow elder. And so what he is encouraging them to do are the things that he should be doing in his own office. He's not trying to lord it over them by invoking the power of the office of apostle. He's speaking to them instead as fellow elders. He's not standing above, but rather standing beside as he gives this encouragement, which is going to fit in with what he says to them about not lording over others. Peter's not speaking down to them. He's not condescending them in any way. And note that Peter doesn't call himself here the Pope. He's a fellow elder. Just like them. Writing to show them the way to live as an exile in this world and as well as a leader in the household of God. And he tells them to shepherd the flock of God. That that's the job, to have oversight and to exercise that oversight. That as elders they have a responsibility to look out for the flock, for the sheep, And that they need to exercise it. Because the temptation will be to not exercise it. The temptation can go two ways. One, it can go to being authoritarian, which he'll deal with in a minute. But it also can be to being absent. And not exercising the oversight. Not doing the job. Here Peter is telling them, you have a responsibility to the sheep, to look out for them, to pray for them, to help them if you can. It's true, there is authority in such oversight, warning and instructing, and if necessary, discipline. He is calling these elders to be shepherds. And just like a shepherd, it comes with a responsibility for those whom you are shepherding. He's not focusing primarily on the power. He's not focusing primarily on the authority. He's focusing primarily on the responsibility. Exercise the oversight. It's your responsibility to make sure the sheep don't wander off, that the sheep are not consumed by wolves, that the sheep are not hurt, that the sheep are cared for, that the sheep are fed, that the sheep are tended. And he also says, then, not under compulsion, but willingly as God would have you. Now he deals with the other side, the other temptation to use the authority to like a club, like a stick, to beat people down, to force them to do what you want by grinding them under your boot heel. Which again is not what Peter did when he opened this section. He says he was a fellow elder. He didn't say, I, Peter the Apostle, command you to do this or else. Now he says, as a fellow elder, exercise the oversight. It's not about compulsion. It's not about force. Christianity can never be forced upon another. Compulsion is not the way of Christ. From time to time in the history of the church, we have tried to force people into believing and it was always disastrous and always wrong. Faith comes from the heart and flows out of us. Jesus tells us it's not what goes into the mouth that makes one unclean, but what flows out of the mouth, what comes out of the heart that makes one clean or unclean. Jesus is saying that so that we'll know that it's not what we eat that makes us unclean, but what we think and what we say. But it can also be applied to this idea of compulsion. You can't force cleanness down someone's throat. You can't actively force them to change their heart. It has to come out from the work of the Holy Spirit, from the inside out. You cannot make people clean on the inside through threats on the outside. Or through forcing them to eat magic bread or whatever else you might want to try. The heart has to be changed by God so that the person wants to follow Jesus. Willingly, as God would have it, as Peter says here. It has to come from their heart and their will. It's the Lord who makes clean. And no matter what responsibility is given to the elders here, Peter is saying, you can't force someone to be clean. You can't force someone to believe in Jesus. Understand the limit of your office. Yes, you should exercise the oversight. Yes, you should direct and point people to Jesus. Yes, you should try to feed and tend the sheep, but realize that you cannot change a goat into a sheep. It can't be done. Compulsion is not a Christian ideal. And the elders of the church are not to try to compel true faith because it can't be done. They're to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and preach the Word and trust that He will work through that Word by the Spirit. And we should remember God's example here. that God doesn't force us. The Lord doesn't cower us into submission with His displays of awesome might. He doesn't drag us against our wills into faith or out of it. God's not a puppet master and we're not just His dolls on a string. The Lord woos and works within us so that our heart is changed and we desire to follow after Him. Therefore, why should the elders of the church try to do what God Himself doesn't do? The Lord does give us a new heart, but that new heart desires after His law. And it becomes something we want and desire and chase after. We're called as elders here to shepherd the church, but not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock in verse 3. The position of elder, the position of leadership is not to be one of domineering. Leadership in the house of God should look different than leadership in the world. The elder does not get his pattern of government from the state government or from the way a CEO governs a company. No, the church is run differently. It's a servant leadership rather than a domineering one. In fact, servant leadership is the opposite of domineering. The domineering leader tells you what to do and makes you do it. And he listens to no suggestions and he doesn't deviate from his way. He is domineering because his will is what dominates all things, every area, every way. The church elder and pastor are not to be this way. They're supposed to do the will of God and serve the need of the people. That means listening and helping and allowing others to use their gifts. It's not my way or the highway, but rather as a shepherd leads a sheep, gently calling, walking in the front and letting the sheep follow after. The shepherd doesn't beat the sheep or chastise the sheep when they don't stop to eat enough grass. He even often allows them to spread out in the field Because it's still within the confines of His protection. He doesn't try to make the sheep walk single file or make the sheep walk in a certain formation. When He needs them to leave a field or to turn a new direction, He calls to them and He beckons with His voice and they go in that direction that He Himself is just gone. so that they follow their own accord and their own desire, following the example of the leader who is calling to them and wooing them. They're not being dominated, but they are being led. This is why Peter says that the elders are to be an example to the flock, because they're to lead by example. They ought to set the example before the people. lead and be seen doing the things that God calls the people to do. They should be using their gifts. They should be worshiping the Savior. They should be singing His praises in the house of God. They should be praying for other saints. And through these examples, others will know that that's what they must do as well. Verse 4 tells us, "...and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." The crown of glory will be given to them. The crown of laurel wreath was something that was often placed on the head of victors in athletic competitions in the old days. And so the idea of someone receiving a crown here was a very known idea. It's a common picture that was being used. But we are specifically told that this crown is an unfading crown of glory. Unlike any crown of laurel wreaths or flowers or whatever it would be that would put on someone's head, that would eventually fade and go away. The flowers would droop and die. The green would disappear. No, this reward is different. It's unfading, imperishable, and undefiled, which is how he starts the book. Talking about the glory that awaits the Christian thanks to the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus. He says, that unfading, imperishable, and undefiled reward that's being kept for you in heaven. And notice that more importantly, this crown of glory is not based on the work of the elder, or the gifts of the elder, or how faithful the elder was. No. It comes with the chief shepherd. It's based upon Him. The reward is assured and will be given to them when Christ returns. If you do this, then you'll get that idea from Peter. That's not the language he's using. No, he says when Jesus comes, you will be given. There's no if-then. It's this will happen. Because Jesus is coming. The end is assured. And so we can go forth in that knowledge and lead by example as God has called us to do. And to do so in the strength of the Lord Jesus who has already won the crown. who's already earned the reward and is keeping it for you undefiled, unfading, and imperishable. And in verse 5, Peter flips subjects and says, likewise you who are younger, be subject to the elders. He begins to speak to the others. And he says, let the younger people be subject to the elders. And Peter returns again to the idea of submission and being subject. He spoke of it earlier when he talked about being subject to the emperor and to the authorities. It was mentioned as the family was discussed. And now he brings it up again in saying be subject to the elders in the house of God. And so we see Peter tells us that we should be subject in all three areas. The three covenant institutions created by God, the state, the church, and the family are all mentioned here. And he's saying just as the emperor is a legitimate authority that's been installed by God, so too are the elders. Be subject to the emperor, be subject to the elders. Just as a wife is subject to a husband, you should also be subject to the elders. It's a genuine and true authority. A position ordained and created by God. This is not a man-made institution, a church, and the office of elder is not a man-made thing. Thus, we should be subject to the elders. It's not any different than it was in the Old Testament when there were prophets that were sent by the Lord, or Levites, and the high priest, although those positions were given to them by birth. A man from the tribe of Benjamin couldn't be the high priest, but now the church operates no longer about bloodlines, but rather the church gathers and elects its own elders. But just as we were to be subject in the Old Testament to the prophets and the priests, now we're to be subject to the elders and deacons. And Peter is telling us here that when such an election occurs, it becomes the duty of the Christian to be subject to the authority of the elected elders. And he says, "...clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another." This is a call for humility again. But notice this call is not just to the younger, but to both. All of you. Elders and young. Those who are in office and those who are out, clothe yourself with humility. Humility must be on both sides or neither side will see any results from church government. All must have humility. Humility by the leaders so they're not looking out only for themselves and misusing their power to trample on other people. Humility from the people, for without humility they won't want to sit under instruction. They won't be subject. They won't listen to the teaching from the elders, especially when it might from time to time be hard, or even expose our own sin. Peter here reminds them from Proverbs 3, 34 about God opposing the proud and giving grace to the humble. Because this call for humility is not new, but it's something upon which both the elders and everyone else must have. And this call for humility was truly a counter-cultural call. And the Roman world humility was something that only slaves ought to have. Slaves should believe with humility because that's what their place demands. But it is not to be the attitude of a Roman citizen. They took pride in pride, so to speak. And they thought that one ought to assert himself and assert his own wants and assert his own desires often. And that was a sign of a true Roman who stood up and said, this is mine, I'll take it. This is what I want, I'm going to have it. Peter says that's not the way the Christian ought to behave. Rather, humility is the way that God wants us to live. And He promises grace and aid for those in the humble life. Peter wants us to see here in this section that humility must be for everyone. And Peter himself starts off with that example at the beginning of chapter 5 and verse 1, when he who is there with Christ for his entire ministry, who was there on the Mount of Transfiguration, one of only three people taken to the top to see Christ in His glory revealed, to see Moses and Elijah speak with Jesus, Peter has done things that few have ever done. It's Peter who received directly from Jesus the call to tend the sheep and to feed the lambs. But yet, Peter introduces this section, I'm a fellow elder. I stand beside you in this. This call applies to you as well as to me. He shows us from the very beginning a picture of humility. He's not lording over them. He doesn't speak as one who compels and orders, but rather as one who guides and directs. He's coming alongside rather than yelling from the top down. He lays out the example of how elders ought to lead. Humble, not domineering. And he tells us here, that this is the way the elders should behave. After the example of Jesus, of course, it was the same way. Jesus, the Son of God who took flesh, didn't come and demand people fall and worship Him right now. Rather, He washed their feet. And He bore with their infirmities all the times that they missed the point. All the times that He taught them messages and they didn't get it. where He would multiply bread and loaves. And then if you remember what happens after that story, the disciples forget all the extra baskets that they have. They leave them behind so that when they get across on the other side, they're like, oh, we're out of bread again. And they're worried about having more bread, even though Jesus just multiplied bread. And he says, well, you should beware of the Pharisees. And they think, oh, he's talking about the bread. He's chastising us for forgetting the bread. He says, you just don't get it. How often did they miss the point? How often did they fail to see that this was the Lord, the Son of God who walked with them and that He can calm the winds of the storm. They don't need to be afraid. But yet Jesus never writes them off. He never says, that's enough. You're not up to snuff. I'm going to try again with somebody else. He doesn't throw them away. He humbly and patiently serves them, leads them, washes their feet, dies for them. Jesus is the example of humility, the one who left heaven to take flesh, to live among us, to die for us, else we too ought to be humble. Which means, here the Lord also is telling us something about our will. That the Lord wants us to desire to follow after Him. not to be forced to follow after Jesus with goads and prongs and whips, but rather to long to be with Jesus so we chase after Him. When we are children, we're often made to do things because we don't know any better. We have to be taught and we have to be reminded. But a major part of growing up is us learning that we ought to desire to do these things. the things that are good, the things that are glorifying God. Just as we ought to no longer have to be forced to eat our food or forced to learn math and science and reading, we ought to come freely to the house of God. To call upon the name of our Savior. To realize that this is what I ought to do. This is what I want to do. Willingly and freely living for Jesus all the days of my life. Not under compulsion, but willingly as God would have you. And then one final note here. Note that the glory is going to be revealed in verse 1. He exhorts 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. Note the certainty of verse 1. It's going to be revealed. Jesus Christ is coming again. The Chief Shepherd is coming. And you will receive the unfading crown of glory. The glory of Jesus Christ will be revealed because Christ is coming again. He suffered for us and our salvation will be made complete. When just as He ascended into heaven, He descends again to judge the heavens and the earth. We confessed it this morning in worship, in the final judgment. He is coming. Christ has promised that He will return. And that He will display the full glory of God when He comes again. Peter tells us the same thing here. We're a partaker in that glory, that glory that we will see with our own eyes. Let us live a life of that certainty, that what Jesus has promised will come to pass. Nothing can stop it. Our Lord is a God of His Word. He is coming to take us to Himself for all eternity. Let the Lord be praised. Let us go to Him now in prayer. Gracious Lord in Heaven, we thank You and we praise You for Your Holy Word for Your promises that will come true. We thank You that You will come again. We thank You that You sent Your Son, the Lord Jesus, that He showed us the true example of humility as He left heaven and came to earth. All so that we might have life everlasting. All so that we could be saved. Lord, create in us that same mind, that same humility. Help us put Your will above our own will. Help us love You with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourself, humbly serving, humbly following after You with our whole hearts. For we know that without You, it cannot be done. Work in us, O Lord, so that our heart does desire after Your law and Your word. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.