If you have your Bibles with you this morning, I invite you and encourage you to open and turn with me again to 1 Peter chapter 5. 1 Peter chapter 5, we come once again to verses 1 through 4, and looking at this office of elder that Peter is addressing, the elders who are amongst the people. So we read from 1 Peter chapter 5, verses 1 through 4 again this morning. Please hear the word of our God. 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. Thus far, the reading of the Lord's Word. May he bless it to us. Please join me in prayer. Our great God, we thank you for your word, and we thank you that it is truth, and we thank you, O Christ, that as our great prophet, that you reveal the will of God for us and for our salvation, and all that you have spoken in your word is useful for training and for equipping us in righteousness and preparing us for every good work. We pray that you would grant us now your spirit to heed what it is that you say and declare to us from your word this morning, and we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Well, as we come back to these four verses this morning, I understand that it's easy to pass over particular portions of scripture that address specific people groups that maybe we don't belong to. And undoubtedly, that can easily be the temptation in the case here as Peter in these opening four verses, four or five verses, that he looks chiefly to elders and that he's addressing the elders within the church. And now as we are coming to this for the fourth time and looking at these verses that the temptation is here to think, well, what does this have to say to me? What application is there? And why do I really care what Peter has to say to the elders of the church? But I wonder if you can imagine with me, just momentarily, if on the next great inauguration day of the United States, what it would be like if the president-elect, as he came forward in order to take his oath of office, and the Supreme Court justice came out in order to read the presidential affirmation that he is vowing to in the oath of office, What would it be like if you woke up as an American and you thought, well, this doesn't really apply to me. This is some guy in a funny black robe addressing some guy dressed up in a nice suit, and so I think I'm going to go busy myself with something else. Now, maybe we do that because we're not overly inclined to be interested in politics, so maybe we would do that as a people, and we would largely ignore the events of January 20th. But can you imagine the shock that it would be if not only did we decide to ignore it, but if the media decided, you know, this really isn't that practical or it's not overly relevant to the lives of many Americans to watch these two-age people speak up here on this podium about the Constitution, about the presidential oath, and, you know, we're going to go broadcast other things today and we're not going to put a spotlight on this. Or even how shocked we would be if the Supreme Court justice as he came forward said, you know, Mr. President-elect, this can really be done just between you and me, so let's just get out of here, out of the fanfare, out of the public spotlight. Let's go into this back room and you can just utter your presidential oath of office there and we can content ourselves with it. My guess is that most of us would be relatively shocked, that most of us would be quite frustrated if this is the way in which we treated something like the presidential inauguration. Because we know that as American citizens, while we're not directly involved with what is going on in the justice reading the oath of office and the president-elect reciting after him, that we are undoubtedly very indirectly affected by everything that is transpiring on January 20th on inauguration day. On a much more glorious way, this is similar to that of the office of elder. The office of elder within the church is a public office. And because it is a public office, it indirectly affects all of Christ's people, even those who have no desire to serve in this office or If you're a female, you can never aspire to serve in this office, as the office of elder is only open to men according to the scriptures. That even though we may not be directly involved in the exhortations and the admonishments that Peter gives here and the encouragement that Peter holds forth, that yet we are all very indirectly and intimately related to what Peter is conveying to the elders of the church. You know, it's quite surprising that as we read in Acts chapter 6 of the establishment of the diaconate, as we just did several minutes ago, that you'll remember the reason deacons were established is because there were so many needs within the body of Christ that the apostles and the ministers simply didn't have the capacity to serve the widows and the tables. And so they established the office of the deacon to go and to exert the ministry of mercy in order that the apostles and those who followed after them, the ministers, might not be taken away from the ministry of prayer and the word. And I wonder if you picked up this morning as the reading came to a conclusion there in Acts chapter 6, that it is when the church had these two offices established, when the ministers were giving themselves over, to the ministry of prayer and the word and the deacons were serving the ministry of mercy that Luke tells us that then it was when the church was growing and prospering and flourishing. You see, even the government of our church and the way in which it's organized and the way in which leaders lead ultimately affects the entirety of the church and the growth of the church and the witness that we have for Jesus Christ. And so as Peter is laying out these different notes about the office of elder, as he's directly addressing elders here, it's not that those of you who don't serve in this capacity can merely tune out and think, what's the use of knowing these things? We are all very indirectly and yet intimately related to what Peter is saying here. Now, as we've spent three weeks looking at these four verses, we've noted that Peter has placed before these elders a very high calling. That he has told them that as you serve as elders, that you are to shepherd the flock of God that is among you. And that as we unraveled that, we saw that shepherding the flock means both feeding the sheep and also fighting off the wolves and the false teachers and the heretical and errant doctrines. And then that this high calling is also seen, as Peter tells the elders, that they are to be exercising oversight. That they are to be given over to a ministerial and a declarative authority of bringing the totality of God's word to bear upon the lives of God's people. And then last week we saw that not only is this a high calling, but it's also a holy calling. As Peter tells the elders here that they must be examples to the flock. That the way in which they live, that their godliness, that their piety is meant in some regards to be put on display that the people of God might see their progress and might emulate these things that they have in their elders. Well, this morning as we come back one last time to verses 1 through 4, we see now that Peter addresses that this calling is not only a high calling and a holy calling, but that it is also an honorable calling. That it is a very honorable calling for a man to be called and equipped and raised up to serve as an elder, as an overseer, as a shepherd of the flock of Jesus Christ. This morning in our public reading of God's Word and Confession of Faith, we read from 1 Timothy 3, verse 1. And there Paul tells Timothy that the saying is trustworthy, that if anyone aspires to the office of overseer, that is the office of elder, if anyone even aspires to it, that he desires a noble task. Regrettably, in our day and age, and in so many of our even reformed churches, it is not considered a noble or honorable duty to be an elder today. Remember, a number of years ago, speaking with a particular pastor in an OP church, And he was telling me that their church was facing a little bit of a crisis, and that they didn't have enough men who were willing to serve as elders. And I said, well, what is it that you're doing, and how do you overcome this great challenge? And he said, you know, Michael, what we're finding ourselves doing is we're really scratching the bottom of the barrel, that we're just looking for warm bodies to fill the chairs on the session in order that we might have elders who are leading. There are other times when the thought of serving as an elder, even aspiring to it, isn't met with the honor or the dignity or considering a noble task, but that men groan at the thought and they think, why do I have to do this? Why would I be called upon to do this? That there are some who are all too eager to demit the office once they've, quote unquote, served their time and to not serve in this capacity anymore. That there are many wives and that there are many families who complain and grumble if their husbands or if their fathers are called to serve in this capacity, that far from seeing this as a noble and an honorable task, it is often something that is lamented, it is something that we begrudge, it is something that we disdain within our lives. Now, in some regards, we can sympathize with those who feel like being called as an elder is more of a prison sentence than it is a joy. And that is because serving as an elder or as a minister is often accompanied by feelings of loneliness, that it can feel incredibly demanding on our time and our resources and the sacrifices that need to be made, that the ministry of an elder can often feel fruitless. And the way that I've heard it described by other elders at times is that serving in this capacity often feels like we're just throwing dry peas at a wall and hoping that something sticks with God's people. That undoubtedly there are many challenges when it comes to serving in this very high and this very holy calling that Christ has orchestrated and ordained for his church. But we do well to remember that despite all of the challenges, that it is not without honor. That this is a very honorable calling, a very noble task that one can desire. As I consider my own calling to the ministry, I'm often reminded of one of my favorite historical figures, and that's Ernst Shackleton. And if you remember his story, he decided to take his ship and a crew of men, and he wanted to sail down into Antarctica. And as he advertised in order to try and gather a crew to himself, perhaps you've read the advertisement in places, that this is the way that he sought to call men to join him in this perilous journey to travel to Antarctica. His advertisement said, men wanted for hazardous journey. There are low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness, safe return, doubtful. but honor and recognition in event of success. And again, in a much more profound way, so it is with elders. that it is hard, that there are challenges, that there are seemingly insurmountable difficulties, but there is an honor in serving as an elder. Now Peter notes this in his own words in verse 4, as he notes speaking to elders, and when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Now, as we consider these words this morning, how is it that Peter notes the honorableness of serving as an elder and being an example in exercising oversight and shepherding the flock of Christ? Well, you note here in verse 4 that first, that Peter speaks to the appearance of Christ. That Peter tells the elders amongst us, he says, and when the chief shepherd appears. Now it's quite provocative here that as Peter is speaking of the office of elder, that in speaking of the honor of this office that he reminds elders that Christ is returning, that Christ is going to appear once again in glory. This is a hope that this is an article of our faith, not only for elders, but indeed for all believers. And yet as Peter is unfolding the responsibility of elders, what we see in verse 4 is that as he comes to the honorableness of this office, that he grounds it in this appearance of Christ, that he grounds it in the second return of Christ. Why is it that Peter would do this? Why is it that Peter would draw the attention of elders to the appearing of Christ? Well first, what we would acknowledge about this appearance of Christ, of the chief shepherd when he comes again in glory, is that the promise of his appearance should instill initiative in his elders. That it ought to instill a great degree of effort and initiative amongst those who serve in this honorable position as elders. You can think back to Jesus' earthly ministry and to so many of the parables that he told his apostles. And you think of all those parables where he spoke of his second return and that he was coming again. And over and over again in these parables, Jesus strikes the same theme. He strikes the exact same exhortation and command. And he tells his disciples that as the Son of Man is promised that he is going to return in glory, that what this ought to produce in you is not laziness, or apathy, or indifference. That's sometimes the way that we can view the return of Christ, that we know it's imminent, that we know it's coming soon, and so we think, well, if Christ is just going to return in glory, then what's the use of me multiplying the talents that I have? Or what's the use of being diligent, and watching, and waiting, and keeping my wick trimmed, and having enough oil in order to light my lamp, that the temptation often, when we consider the appearance and the return of Christ, is to be given over to laziness, to apathy, to indifference, if not because we see the immediacy of Christ's return, but because we feel like Christ is long in coming. And so we have so many days, and months, and perhaps even years. And yet what you note over and over again in these parables is that Jesus speaks of his coming again, not to tell his people you can be lazy or apathetic, but to stir them up to an initiative, to stir them up to being watchful, to stir them up to great diligence. And this is what Peter is driving home for elders here in verse 4. That Christ will appear and that he is coming again in glory means that elders need to be about the honorable task of taking initiative. That elders have the joy and light of the appearance of Christ and the promise of his second coming to serve urgently and to serve earnestly and to serve in a way that is committed to the purpose and to the word of Christ. To remember that he is returning and therefore we must make the most of the time and the service and the ministry that we have. We also see of this appearance of Christ that not only does it reveal the initiative, but you note in these words that it also speaks to the honor that elders have and that their position as elders within the church is that it is an imitative office. You know what Peter says here when he speaks of the appearance of Christ, that Peter does not write here, when Jesus returns again. And he doesn't say, when the Son of Man comes again. Neither does he say, hey listen, Christ is going to appear in glory, elders, so you better be prepared for this. But you note, the particular designation that Peter uses here, is that he says, when the shepherd appears. You remember that Peter has already described one of the responsibilities of elders is that they are to be shepherding the flock of God. And that Peter, as he speaks of the appearance of Christ again, notes that it's not just Christ or Jesus or the Son of Man who is returning, though he is returning in all of those capacities, but that here what he focuses on is that the chief shepherd is the one who is going to appear. You know, this reflects part of the honor of what it is to serve as an elder in the churches and the congregations of Christ. That an elder who is called to shepherd the flock of God is called to do this in imitation of Christ. That Christ is the chief shepherd, that Christ is the good shepherd, that Christ is the absolute shepherd and the overseer of his people, and therefore elders, as they execute this office of shepherding the flock, do it by imitating Jesus in a whole bunch of different ways. This is what they are called to, to imitate and to follow, to emulate the example of Christ himself. Undoubtedly, there are a number of ways in which we can say that elders ought to imitate the chief shepherd. But one particular way that is incredibly important for elders and congregants to remember today is that our elders and those who shepherd the flock of God are to imitate the chief shepherd, chiefly through sacrificial service. You think of the earthly ministry of Christ, And that there are fewer places in all of the scriptures that speak so clearly as to why Christ came into the world than Christ's own testimony of this in Matthew chapter 20 verse 28. And you remember there that he taught his disciples that the Son of Man did not come to be served, but that he came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. I think if we're honest with ourselves when we hear this, not only of Christ, but we also think of the elders who are shepherding the flock of God amongst us, that at least in our American language, the idea of a servant or of service has become a little skewed in the way that we understand it. Because it is very tempting in our selfish and sinful natures to replace the idea of service with what we might call customer service. That when we think of Christ coming to not be served, but to serve, that we think of him in the business of customer service, and therefore of his elders in customer service as well. And you know how well customer service works. A customer service is largely governed by the mantra that the customer is always right. And that when the customer goes into the restaurant to be served by one who is known as a server or a waiter, that they are at the beck and call of those who are being served. And therefore, when your server comes out and perhaps they bring you your drink and you lift it up, and you're like, there's way too many ice cubes in this, go take this back and give me a new glass with less ice. Or they bring out that juicy looking steak and you cut into it and you're like, this is just slightly too well done. I wanted a little more pink. Take it back and have the chef prepare a new steak for me. Or you know what? I'm really hot in the dining room. Go turn the AC up for me. Come and bring me my bill. Wait on me hand and foot to all of my preferences and desires and wishes and whims because the customer is always right. Now if that's your dining experience, we won't comment on that this morning, and you can treat your waiters and your servers as you see fit. But there is an issue when we begin to think that Jesus is in the business of customer service, and therefore elders are in the business of customer service as well. Jesus said that the Son of Man came into the world not to be served, but to serve. And to give his life as a ransom for many, biblical sacrificial service is not characterized as customer service. You think even as the Apostle Peter learned something of this in John chapter 13. Where John chapter 13 puts on display for us, it enfleshes, it incarnates precisely what the service of Christ looks like. As Christ, as we've noted at other times in going through Peter, as he took off his outer garments, as he stooped down, as he washed his disciples' feet. I think we noted this even last week when he comes to Peter. What is it that Peter tells Jesus? Peter says, you shall never wash my feet. And he looks at the humble servant and he says, what you're doling out, what you're doing, I don't want any part of. And if Christ had been in the business of customer service, we can imagine that the way he would have responded to Peter when Peter told him, Lord, don't serve me in this capacity, that Jesus would have said, OK, Peter, you're right. I'm not going to wash your feet. And by the way, on your way out, can you just throw an extra big tip into the jar because I've listened to what you want. How is it that Jesus responds in the midst of the sacrificial service? He tells Peter, if I don't wash your feet, And if I don't serve you in this way, then Peter, you have no part with me." And what we see of the service that is to be emulated and imitated by elders is that the sacrificial service that they are called to is not one that is based on wants, but it is one that is based on needs, and specifically the spiritual needs of Christ's people. and that there are times when elders and those who are the flock of God, that the elders must serve in a way that the flock doesn't want them to serve, and yet in imitating Christ, they say, this is the very reason why we have this office, is to emulate the chief shepherd, to imitate the way in which he served, and that we serve to the needs of your spiritual life and health and vitality, not based on your wants, but based on your needs. And so Peter shows the honor that elders have in being imitators of this chief shepherd who one day will appear again in glory. So we see that it's an honor to take the initiative, that it's an honor to imitate, but what you also note in these words is that it is an honor for elders to serve in this capacity because their office is an instrumental ministry. It's an instrumental ministry. You wonder, as Peter was writing this, if he was thinking the lesson he learned of Christ in John chapter 10. And the great chapter of the good shepherd and how the good shepherd had come to care for his sheep and to lay his life down for the sheep. And you wonder if going in the back of Peter's mind here is what Jesus had told his disciples in John chapter 10 verse 16 as he said, I have other sheep that are not of this fold and I must bring them in also and they will listen to my voice. Of course, standing on this side of the cross, we understand what Jesus was telling his disciples there, that he was giving them the rationale of why it is that he had to die, and not only die, but be raised to the newness of life, and not only raised to the newness of life, but to ascend into the glorious realm of heaven itself, where he would be able to exercise this ministry of calling his sheep, not only from the little band of disciples that he interacted with throughout Judea, but indeed calling all of his people from the four corners of the earth and gathering all of his sheep. And what Jesus is doing there is he's anticipating his death and his resurrection and that these other sheep are the fullness of the Gentiles and the Jews. But a simple question is, how does Christ bring them also? How does Christ bring in all of his sheep from the four corners of the earth? except that as Peter is perhaps reflecting on that even here in these verses, that it is through the instrumentality of his elders and ministers. This is how the ascended and the seated Christ brings in the totality of his flock, is through the instrumentality of his elders. and that elders are instruments in the hand of Christ, and in so many regards, they are nothing more. Probably don't have to tell you this morning that there are many leaders in the church, and that there are many Christians who seem to get that relationship backwards, and to think that rather than the leaders of the church being instruments in Christ's hand, that Christ is an instrument in their hands. And I can tell you from personal reflection and experience that I am so tired of leaders in the church who think that they are something more than an instrument in Christ's hand. I am so tired of leaders in the church and of elders who think that they are something more and who platform their own name or who reinvent the wheel of the way in which church ought to get done or to have their brand elevated far above fidelity to the means of grace and to the word of God and those who are thinking that they are inviting Jesus into their work rather than understanding that the great honor and joy of being an elder is that we are not inviting Jesus into our work, but that Jesus is using us and inviting us into the cause of his gospel and his mission of drawing in his sheep from all over the world throughout all of time. And this is an honorable thing, and something that Peter reminds elders of here when he speaks of the appearance of Christ, that this chief shepherd is returning in glory, and therefore it is an honor, elders, to participate in this office of taking the initiative of knowing that the time is short, of imitating this shepherd who is coming from heaven, and of being an instrument in his hand. And yet more briefly this morning, you note that Peter doesn't only address the appearing of the shepherd, but that in these words of verse 4, we also see that Peter holds out a note of accountability. And that Peter reminds these elders and those who he is writing to, these exiles sojourning in this world, this accountability. And he tells them here that it's not simply the shepherd who is appearing, but you note the word there that it is the chief shepherd who is appearing. In English we have these two words, chief shepherd, in case you care, and you probably don't, but the Greek is just one word here. It's a compound word. And the word chief here is a word that simply means one who is a master, or one who is the manager, or one who is the leader. Or we might say in common language today that what Peter is saying, this chief shepherd, that it's with him that the buck stops. That he is the absolute one in control and that he is the manager, the leader, and the master of all those who serve as under shepherds. One reason why there is a chief in any economic structure, any stewardship, is that a chief is meant to hold those who labor for him accountable. Again, you think of the many earthly parables that Jesus taught. He taught so many parables of the masters, and the slaves, or servants, and those who are the heads of the house, and those who are sons, and that in so many of the different parables, Jesus reminds us that when this master, or this chief, or this lord returns, that it's then that the servants are going to have to render an account of how is it that you spent your talents, of what is it that you did in my absence, of how is it that you conducted yourself in the midst of your ministry or in the midst of the world in which you live. And here this is what Jesus will do when he appears as the chief shepherd again in glory. That he will come not simply as a shepherd, but he will come as the chief shepherd, as the master shepherd, as the lord of the shepherds, and he will hold his elders accountable for how they shepherded the flock. That he will hold them accountable for how it is that they exercised oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly that he will hold his elders accountable and whether or not they were genuinely and sincerely examples to the flock. And what Peter observes here is that with the great honor of this office of elder comes a greater degree of accountability. And that the chief shepherd will come and that all elders must ultimately answer for the way in which they have conducted themselves. We see in other passages of scripture that with great honor and responsibility comes greater accountability. You think of the half-brother of Jesus, James, when he's writing to the church there and he tells them, not many of you should desire to be teachers. Why is it that not many of you should desire to be teachers and to open the word and to proclaim the word, but James tells us because we know that teachers are going to be held to a stricter judgment. And we know from the preacher of Hebrews, in Hebrews chapter 13 verse 17, that the leaders amongst us, that when Christ returns as the chief shepherd and the Lord and the master of his church, that it is in that day that these elders will have to give an account for the souls of those that Christ has entrusted to their care and to their ministry. That elders are the watchmen on the tower. In the words of Ezekiel, have the duty of declaring falsehood and of declaring repentance and of declaring the wrath of God, lest the blood of their congregation be on their own heads. Dear congregation, what an encouragement you can be to your elders. When you remember that those men who serve in this honorable office, that one day they will give an account for the way in which they ministered amongst the flock of Christ. What an encouragement this ought to be to you to pray for your elders. To pray for your elders and to speak to them in such a way that they recognize that they must be given or that they must give an account to the chief shepherd when he returns in glory for the way that they have dealt with your souls. Remember that your elders answer to a far higher court than the court of public opinion and to the court of your own preferences or of your own opinions or of your own way of how you would like to see things done, but that one day they will answer to the chief shepherd when he comes in great majesty and power and glory. And I know how easy it is. for all of us to get caught up in the secondary or the tertiary things, and to characterize elders or ministers as though they need to answer to us. I remember a number of years ago hearing from a minister that he had preached a particularly difficult sermon to his congregation, because that's where he was in the text, and a disgruntled man came up to him afterwards and said, Pastor, that was not the type of message I needed today. I needed something that was far more encouraging, something that was far more comforting, something that would have appeased me in the difficulties that I am going through. And yet how good it is for congregants to remember that your elders, that your ministers are bound and held accountable to one that is far greater than your feelings or your difficulties or your struggles or your preferences, that it is to the chief shepherd that they must ultimately answer. But we'd also be remiss to not encourage you, dear brothers and sisters. Not only do you have an opportunity to pray for your elders and so treat them and talk to them as those who must give an account for your soul, but we would be remiss to not also encourage you that you have in some measure a responsibility to keep your elders accountable. I've heard it even in OP churches. Where congregants have said, well, listen, the session has said it and therefore we're going to shut up and we're going to put up. And we're going to do whatever they tell us to do. We're going to believe whatever it is that they want us to believe because they're the elders over the flock of God. Such an implicit faith has never been for the ultimate good of any church. You are to hold your elders accountable. And you are to hold them accountable, of course, not to your opinions and not to your preferences or to cultural ideologies, but to hold them accountable to the standard that the Chief Shepherd himself will use, namely his word. And that's why as an elder and a minister in this congregation, it's one reason why I love confessional Christianity, because we find it incredibly important to be as clear as we possibly can in what we believe the Bible teaches, so that when we teach anything, when we do anything, that it is properly grounded in the Word of God. And as we will be held accountable to the Chief Shepherd when He returns in glory, so hold us accountable now to the Word of God. And if what we teach, and if what we say, and if what we commend, and if what it is that we proclaim to you is anything other than the Word of God, then you have the duty and the responsibility to come before us, even as elders, and say, we need to talk about this. Our love of the Word of God and the truth of the Word of God has to trump any pride and any self-righteousness and any pomp or arrogance that we might have, that it is to this Word that the Chief Shepherd shall hold us accountable. And so, brothers and sisters, for the sake of your own souls and the souls of your elders, hold us to this Word. And so we see the great honor that this office has. The honor that this office has and the accountability that will be required of us when Christ returns in glory. But finally, you note in these words, not only does Peter speak of the appearing of Christ in a note of accountability, but we also read something of the accolade that Peter speaks to, the accolade that he speaks to. And having given these weighty charges to elders, that they must shepherd the flock, they must be exercising oversight, that they must be examples to the flock of God, that they must bear this ministry with initiative and imitating Christ and all those things, we might think that it would be fitting for Peter here to come as he reflects upon these things at the end of verse 4 and begin to throw out and to utter all these anathemas that await the false or the abusive or the hypocritical elders in the church. If you're familiar with 2 Peter, you know that when Peter gets to the false teachers in 2 Peter, he spares no words and gives a very harsh tongue lashing to those who have betrayed the truth of the gospel and of the word of God. But you note here in verse 4 that as he has laid these responsibilities upon the elders and upon the flock of God to expect and to anticipate that this is the way in which they're going to serve, that Peter doesn't begin to dole out all of these anathemas, but that he speaks here of the accolade that elders receive when Christ appears. And he tells them here that when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Now in the very least, this accolade that Peter speaks here of faithful elders receiving the unfading crown of glory, this ought to work against our innate pessimism. I'm not blind to the objections, and neither are you, of why it is that so many who call themselves Christians hesitate to submit to the authority of elders and to leaders within the church. because there are many leaders, perhaps countless leaders, who don't serve in the way that Peter commands here, who aren't willing, but who are driven by compulsion, who don't do it eagerly, but do it resentfully, who are all about shameful gain, who domineer over the people who are in their charge, who are anything but examples to the flock of how it is that they ought to live. There are many of us who have been wounded, who have been hurt, who have been devastated by those who are called to shepherd the flock and they have not dealt with us either in the tenderness that we need or in the toughness that we deserve. And so there are many people that we breed just this anti-authoritarianism naturally within our sinful selves and yet how Peter's accolade here in the very least ought to work against our pessimism as he holds out this glorious encouragement That you elders who have served faithfully, you need to know that when Christ returns, that you are going to receive this unfading crown of glory. That what Peter acknowledges here is that a faithful ministry is not beyond realization in the church of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, this word wouldn't be encouraging, but it would be unattainable. As Peter speaks of this accolade here at the end of verse 4 that works against our pessimism and gives us hope that indeed Christ will have faithful shepherds over his people, you note several things about this accolade. And that is first, and quickly here this morning, you note that this unfading crown of glory, that it is all of grace by which these elders will receive it. That Peter says that when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive. that you will receive. And it's not as though the faithful elders among you in their own strength or in their own wisdom or in their own might can fulfill these duties. It is a work of God's grace. And yet isn't it a marvelous thing that in the economy of grace that God loves to crown his grace with more grace. He does that in our daily lives. He does that in the ministry of the word. He does that in so many different quarters of the Christian life and faith that those works that he produces by his grace within us, that he crowns it and he rewards it as it were with more grace, grace upon grace, immeasurable, unimaginable grace. And so Peter isn't telling elders, listen, you're sufficient in and of yourselves to be faithful elders. But he's saying this is all a work of grace and when Christ comes, he's going to crown that grace with even more grace. But you also note here in these words, not only is it all of grace and that Peter says you will receive the unfading crown of glory, but you also note that it's chiefly from the chief shepherd. It is from the chief shepherd that you will receive this commendation and this praise. Those of you who have either served as an elder or minister, or you're close with those who have, you know what a great comfort that is. Because the work of the ministry, whether it's a minister or whether it's an elder, or even a deacon, or even in so many regards, even the general office of just being a Christian within the church and serving in the Christian grace that the Spirit has given to you, that to be ministers formally or informally in the church, it is difficult, it is tiresome, it is seemingly fruitless. We can often wonder why aren't people more appreciative? And yet Peter reminds us here that our ultimate praise doesn't come from the flock, but that it comes from the chief shepherd, that it's ultimately his evaluation, that will determine whether we have been faithful or whether we have been unfaithful. And that it is chiefly from the chief shepherd that we will receive the words, well done, good and faithful servant. And an encouragement not only to elders and ministers and deacons, but to all of us, even as the preacher of Hebrews reminds us that God is not so unjust that he will not overlook our labors of love. And so a comfort and encouragement in these words that Peter admonishes elders here that you may need to wait till the appearing of the chief shepherd before you will receive the commendation and the word of praise for faithful elders. Elders amongst us, your faithfulness cannot be gauged by how the sheep receive you or how they respond to you. but you must be faithful to the word of God at all costs. And then you note more particularly here, that Peter says, when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. The word unfading here is where we get the name for the amaranth flower. If you're a gardener and you know anything about flowers, you perhaps know that an amaranth flower is a flower that, even when it's dying, it doesn't lose its color and it doesn't lose its shape. And this isn't the first time that Peter is referred to this, but he's already spoken back in 1 Peter chapter 1, that the inheritance that all believers stand to receive in Christ is an unfading inheritance. That it is one that will not grow old, that moth and rust will not destroy it, that eons upon eons will pass, and yet this inheritance will retain its form and its luster and its beauty and its joy and its glory and its loveliness. And Peter notes here that for those who serve faithfully as elders, you have the prospect of this honor that one day you will receive an unfading crown of glory. And the word for crown that Peter uses here isn't the diadem, but it's the type of crown that was placed on the head of a champion or an athlete after they had won some great competition or fight, when they had struggled and labored and crossed that finish line or ended the fight. And so they were crowned with a wreath, perhaps, of flowers or some other ornamental things. And Peter notes here that this is the heavenly reward that the faithful elders will receive, this unfading crown of glory for the struggle, for the work, and for the ministry that they have faithfully executed. But I'd ask you this morning, what do you think this crown of glory is? It's striking, but I don't think this unfading crown of glory is some sort of nebulous thing in the mind of Peter. But perhaps we could borrow from the words of Paul. And as Paul was writing to the church in Thessalonica in chapter 2, verses 19 and 20, what did he tell the church there? But he told the church, for what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory. and our joy. And as Peter lays down this glorious reward of a crown of glory, I don't believe he is speaking literalistically. I don't think he is speaking either nearly in a type of nebulous way of an indefinite understanding here. But what Peter is showing is the relationship that can and does exist between elders who minister faithfully and between the flock of Jesus Christ, that the crown will be in that day, those whom these elders had faithfully served and faithfully ministered to and had faithfully given Jesus to in the course of their ministry. And that here elders have the opportunity to rejoice, to rejoice in a commendation that if we faithfully execute this office that has been entrusted to us, what a joy and a boast it will be one day in glory, to behold the flock of Christ that we have ministered to, to see them relishing in the glories and the graces and the beauties of Christ. and for the flock of Christ to look at their faithful elders and ministers and to see that it was through their fidelity to the word of God that they're standing in this glorious place for all of eternity, beholding the wonders and the majesty and the grace of God, and what an honor and what a joy that shall be, not only for elders, but also for the flock of Christ. A relationship of joy and a relationship of glory, a relationship of boasting. And brothers and sisters, if that is the relationship that we long for in heaven, what a joy it is to know that even here on earth, we can begin to partake of that. to see each other as our joy, to see each other as our grace and as our glory and as our boast, as we all continue to encourage one another towards the celestial city to which we are bound. And the great hope that we will have that one day we shall no longer be rejoicing as the church militant together, but one day as the church triumphant. And so Peter here addresses in these opening four verses of chapter five, elders. And he impresses upon elders and upon the flock of Christ that they have a very high calling, that they have been raised up by Christ to shepherd the flock and to exercise oversight, that they have this holy calling upon their lives to be examples to the flock that is amongst them and that they have this honorable calling that when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Let us brothers and sisters in humility hold fast to the word of God and to the government that Christ has established for his church, for our good and for his glory. Amen. Please join me in a word of prayer. Our great chief shepherd of our souls, we thank you that we as your sheep are not left to ourselves. that we are not left to forage for food by ourselves, that we are not left to fend for ourselves, that we are not left unbounded and unfenced, but that you, O Christ, as the only head of your church, that in your wisdom you have seen fit in your resurrection and ascension power and glory to give gifts unto men. And that some of the gifts that you have given is that you have called some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be the shepherd teachers. We thank you for those faithful shepherds who have watched over your flock throughout the course of history and over your church. We thank you for those who have already gone into glory that we can behold the outcome of their faith and so follow in their footsteps. And we would pray, O Lord, for those elders and those ministers and those shepherds that you have raised up even amongst your faithful churches today. Even as we look out and see so many of our northern family returning, we thank you, O Lord, for these brothers and sisters, for their churches, for their ministers, for their elders, for all those that are represented here and how we pray that you, O Christ, as you hold your church in your hand, You would hold your ministers and your elders in the palm of your hand, even as you hold the seven stars. We pray, O Lord, that you would raise up men who are God-fearing and not man-fearing, who delight in serving and in sacrificing and in leading, not in a way that promotes their reputation, but in a way that they confess, even with John the Baptist, that I must become less and Christ must become more. We pray, O Lord, that as you continue to minister to your people, even through the organization of the church, you would help us to hold faithfully and unswervingly to it, and that in light of this, even as you did in the book of Acts, that you would prosper your church and grow your church and mature your church and increase your church's witness. We thank you, O Lord, that you are the chief shepherd of your people, and that ultimately it is to you that we kneel and that we bow and that we render absolute and uncontested obedience to. Be with us in the course of our lives and in all of our churches, we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.