This is a rather challenging passage of scripture for me as I have to study it and preach it when it talks about elders and pastors in the church. But when we look at what Peter has been sharing all along in this wonderful book, we're coming towards the end of it now, where Peter has just summed up his final exhortation to the believers who have been scattered abroad because of all the persecution that's been taking place. And he told them that they shouldn't think it's strange that this is happening to them, because people do get persecuted for righteousness' sake. Jesus said, if the world hates me, know that it's gonna hate you too, and it's gonna express that hatred in a lot of different ways. But he also wanted them to know that they are partaking in Christ's suffering. What they were going through is no different than what Christ himself had gone through. So he told them that even in all of that that you can rejoice, even in the midst of the most difficult trials and tests that come, because when you are suffering for righteousness' sake, then the Spirit of God rests upon you, gives you the strength and the ability to glorify God in and through any kind of circumstance that you go through. And he told them, in many cases, and sometimes it's hard for us to understand that in many cases it is God's will that we go through those things. It's the trying of our faith. It's helping us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. It's molding us and shaping us into the image of Christ. And he never leaves us alone through that. He takes us through that to bring us out the other side the way he exactly wants us to be. And so he says, in the midst of all of that, Peter told them, Commit your souls to God in doing good. Don't stop. Don't feel sorry for yourself. Continue to do what God has called you to do by living out the Christian life the way he called you to. And then he finally finished last time by telling them, that if a believer suffers in relationship to being saved and all that happens in their life, then what do you think is going to happen to the unbeliever who rejects the gospel of Jesus Christ and what awaits them, their eternal judgment in a Christless eternity in pain and torment forever and ever? And so we need to be praying for the lost. We need to share the gospel with them so they can experience what we have, a peace and a contentment that this world does not have and cannot offer to anyone apart from Jesus Christ. So now what Peter wants to do is he wants to address the leaders of the churches where much of this persecution is taking place. You see, they all began to scatter, and as they scattered, they began to meet in different places. And these elders who were also being scattered as well, too, took all of these people to themselves and began to minister to them in different places, even in the midst of all of the trials and things that were still going on. And so he wants to address the pastors or the elders or the overseers as the same terms that are used as he uses in our passage here in 1 Peter chapter five. And the key to this passage here in these four verses is in verse two, where Peter says, shepherd the flock of God which is among you. So what he does is he likens elders and pastors to shepherds. and he likens the people to sheep. Not very flattering when you think about what sheep are like even in our world today. When you take an animal like a sheep and liken it to God's people, we understand why as we see that. Sheep for the most part aren't able to take care of themselves. They need a shepherd to protect them, to guide them, to care for them, to feed them, to lead them. Sheep that become lost have a hard time finding their way back, so sometimes the shepherd has to go after them. When they wander away, sometimes they eat things that are not good for them, and they may get sick, some things that are unhealthy for them. Sheep, for the most part, can't clean themselves, so they must be cleaned and protected by the shepherd from any kinds of diseases that they may have. Sheep are really defenseless and passive, especially when it comes to them being attacked. For the most part, they'll just panic and run. So they need a shepherd to protect them and to rescue them when necessary. And it's interesting that God likens us to sheep. He said in Matthew chapter nine, verse 36, but when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd. We were all like that at one time. All we like sheep have gone astray. And yet the Lord Jesus Christ, the great shepherd, brought us to himself in salvation when we put our faith and trust in him. And to think that pastors and elders are likened to the shepherds of sheep. Because sheep are prone to wander and eat what is unhealthy and become unclean and vulnerable, they need someone to oversee them. They need a shepherd who will faithfully care for them. In the midst of all that was going on in the churches with all the persecution and all the false teachers and all that was going on in Peter's time with all the sheep being scattered like that, they certainly needed shepherds to lead them, to feed them, to care for them, to watch over them. And it's no different in our day today. With all of the threats against the sheep today, All the things trying to influence the sheep through the different mediums that are out there today, the television, the internet, books, all kinds of people that you interact with, all of these things become threat to the sheep. The threat to being challenged to set aside doctrine for the sake of just getting along with each other. That ecumenical mentality that says, we all love Jesus, so let's just all get along. The threat of all the worldly influences, all the ungodly music, women in the pulpits, homosexuals leading churches, gender sensitivity, being culturally relevant rather than biblically correct. All of these assaults on the congregations of today and the sheep of today. and they have a watered down or non-existent gospel, and a myriad of other things coming into the churches, into the pulpits, into other teaching venues where the sheep are exposed to, the issue becomes that churches certainly do need shepherds. They need pastors and elders to shepherd the church, to be responsible for the church, and to be the spiritual leaders to the congregations that God has entrusted to them. And when you think about that, God has used two offices mainly to do that. There's two distinct offices in the biblical church. One of those is the deacons. They're listed in 1 Timothy 3, verses 8 through 13, and Philippians 1, 1. They are the servants of the body. They are the assistants to the elders. They are the ones that come alongside you and help you in times that you need that help. The other office, then, is the office of the elder or the pastor. or the overseer, to which Peter is addressing here in 1 Peter chapter five. This office is set down in 1 Timothy chapter three, verses one through seven, and Titus one, verses five through nine. And as we read this passage, and as we look at other places in scripture, we see the terms elder, the term pastor, or the term overseer. And sometimes they're used synonymously, and sometimes they're used individually. As a matter of fact, if you looked in 1 Timothy 5 and verse 19, you would just see the term elder used by itself. You can look in Philippians 1.1, 1 Timothy 3.2, and Titus 1.7, and you would see the word overseer, or the term bishop, those two are interchangeable, used by itself. You can look in Ephesians 4.11 and you see the term pastor used by itself. So they are individual terms, but you need to know and understand this. Those terms are also used synonymously and interchangeably throughout the scriptures. So when you hear the word pastor, or you hear the word elder, or you hear the word overseer, they are all talking about the same person. We know this because they're used interchangeably all throughout scripture. In Titus 1.5 and Titus 1.7, you have the word elder and overseer used synonymously. In 1 Peter 5 verses one and two, our passage here, you have elders and overseers and shepherd pastors used synonymously, talking about the same person. You see in Acts 20 verses 17 and 28 that Devin read earlier, you have the elders, the overseers, and the pastors, or the shepherds, and they are all used synonymously. This is a single person in a single office. that has that title. When you look at an elder, that represents the spiritual maturity and character of a man. When you look at the overseer and the term there, that represents the general responsibility and leadership and oversight that that person supplies to the congregation. When you look at the pastor or shepherd, that represents his attitude of shepherding and caring and feeding and leading the congregation. But they are all that one person that is called in that position to do that. But there's something else we need to understand about the New Testament churches for the pastor and elder and overseer. Whenever they are mentioned in the church of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, it is always mentioned in the plurality of elders or overseers or pastors in a single church. meaning that most, if not all, of the New Testament churches had multiple elders leading it, multiple pastors leading it, as well as multiple deacons serving alongside them in those churches. In Acts chapter 14, verse 23, Barnabas and Saul had just returned from Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, where they were forming these churches and putting all of this together. It says, so when they had appointed elders, plural, in every church, singular. You have multiple elders leading the congregation in a single church. In Acts 20, verse 17. It says from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and he called the elders, plural, of the church, singular. That's what he had read earlier. And he goes on to say in verse 28 of Acts 20 that Paul told them, therefore, take heed to yourselves and to the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God. God is the one who brings about this leadership. He appoints them as overseers of the people he has called together as his people, as his flock, as the sheep of his pasture. In Acts 15.4, it says, and when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church, singular, and the apostles and the elders, plural. James 5.14, it says, if anyone among you is sick, let him call for the elders, plural, of the church, singular. That is a biblically ordained working church with a leadership that way. And that's why we endeavor to do that at this church here. We have multiple elders, we have multiple deacons serving this body of believers that have been entrusted to us. And being a pastor or an elder is a great privilege, but it comes with great responsibility and accountability in that position leading a congregation. Matter of fact, Hebrews 13.7 says, remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow. That becomes an incredible responsibility to say, be followers of me even as I am of Christ for every elder who is in that church. They have a certain rule over a congregation that's been a God-given rule to guide them, lead them, feed them, take them in the direction as a shepherd would his sheep. They have the responsibility of leadership by example for others to follow. Later in Hebrews chapter 13, verse 17, it says, obey those who have the rule over you and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls as those who must give an account. That becomes an incredible task. Your responsibility, it says, is to obey those who have the rule over you, which are the elders, and be submissive to their authority, understanding that God has placed them there for a particular purpose. And then it says, for they, the elders, the pastors, watch out for your souls. By the way, that word watch out, it's actually used other places in scripture and extra biblical sources to be sleepless or to keep awake. They have sleepless nights thinking about you, trying to take care of you and love you and serve you in those kinds of ways. Because they watch out for your souls as those who must give an account. That word account is the word logos. Some of you have heard that term. It means to speak forth a word. Someday every elder and pastor is gonna have to speak forth that word to God. to give an account for what they have done with that congregation entrusted to them. In Ephesians 4, verses 11 to 15, it says the pastors are called to equip the saints for the work of ministry. And part of doing that, it edifies the body of Christ. And in doing that, it unites the body together in faith for the edification of itself in love. Those become incredible responsibilities for elders and pastors and leaders of churches. In 1 Thessalonians 5.12, the elders are called to labor for the flock. That word labor means to labor to the point of exhaustion or fatigue. Paul understood that. They're also called in that passage to admonish the flock. And that word admonish means to mildly rebuke or to teach some kind of a doctrinal truth or to warn against some kind of doctrinal error. All of these are just different aspects of what an elder, a pastor, an overseer is called to do with the congregation that God has entrusted to them. And it's to these very people whom we just looked at, to whom Peter here is writing in 1 Peter chapter five. So let's look at it, starting in verse one. Peter says, to the elders who are among you, I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partakers of the glory that will be revealed. Peter wanted to exhort these elders. He wanted to encourage these elders and these overseers of the churches who were going through all of the persecution. He said, I want you to take courage, but I also want you to properly minister to those who God has entrusted to you, especially during this difficult time when you are trying to lead them and feed them and care for them. and protect them amidst all of the trials and tests and persecutions that are going on around you. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be an elder in one of those churches where your congregation are dying at the hands of the Romans, or they're getting illnesses and they're dying because of it. And all of these things going on in the midst of that. He wanted to encourage them by what he says in verse one. He says, I know what you're going through because I'm a fellow elder. I see some of the things that you're going through because I have been through some of those things. I know the kind of suffering you're going through because I was a witness of the sufferings of Christ himself and I have suffered for righteousness sake myself. I understand what you're going through. But he says, it's all worth it. I want you to know this. It's all worth it because you and I will be partakers of the glory that will be revealed. He tells them, hang in there. Don't give up. Don't compromise. Don't abandon your faith. Stay strong in the Lord and the power of his might. Because these sufferings that you are going through right now are not worthy to be compared to what lies ahead when the glory of God is revealed in Jesus Christ when He comes back. This will all be over, and everything that you've hoped for and waited for and trained for and all that you do for the Word of God and for God in Christ, It will all be suddenly revealed in its fullness, and you will have a glory and rejoicing like you've never had before." They needed to hear that. He said earlier in chapter four, verses 12 and 13, don't think it's strange considering the fiery trial which is about to try you as though some strange thing were happening to you. He said, but rejoice to the extent that you are partakers of Christ's suffering, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with an exceeding joy. There's an exceeding joy that waits for us beyond this time. And aren't you glad for that? With all that we're going through these days? all of the trials and the tests, the physical problems, the spiritual problems, all of the things that are happening in this world today. And Peter says in verses two and three, he exhorts the elders to shepherd the flock to which God has made them overseers. That's interesting to note that God has placed people in leadership over the churches that he has put in place. And then Peter says, and this is how you do it. Verse two, he says, shepherd the flock of God, which is among you, serving as overseers. This again looks at pastors and elders as shepherds of the flock that oversee the flock and those who feed and protect and direct God's people entrusted to them. That's why Paul told the church at Ephesus in Acts 20, 28, therefore, take heed to yourselves and to the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. You think if he purchased a church with his own blood that he would want to put those people in place to oversee all of those people for his glory, and that's exactly what he does. And then Paul goes on in Acts 20 there, telling him that being a shepherd entails protecting those sheep from those false teachers that want to come in and destroy what Christ shed his blood for. In Acts 20, 29, Paul goes on to say, for I know this, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. You get the imagery here of a shepherd out in the field and his flock are there, and here comes this wolf trying to get into that pack to destroy as many as they can? I know this, that after my departure from this church, who I've entrusted to you as elders, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock that's been entrusted to you. And also from among yourselves, men will rise up, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves." There's that constant battle for protecting the congregation, the sheep. of God's pasture, and that's what the elders and the pastors and the overseers are called to do. And one way in which that is done is through the feeding of the flock. The shepherd does that in protecting them by feeding his sheep. The pastors and elders feed God's people on the Word of God so that they can grow, so they can protect themselves, and He can protect them by doing that from those false teachers that would want to come in and destroy the flock. And believe me, they have. Even in this country, many churches today have succumbed to those who came in from the outside and are now ruling and reigning in those churches, and those who came from the inside with itching ears that didn't want to hear the gospel, didn't want to believe the Word of God being the truth. And now we have very few churches that stand strong on the Word of God. Peter says, you're to protect the congregation You serve as overseers. Episcopeo is that word. It's where we get the word episcopal. Unfortunately, it has not the same meaning near what it did back then. That word then meant to diligently look at. Peter's saying you diligently look at those in your congregation, the ones that you have the oversight of, the ones that you watch and you care for. And the more that shepherd knows his sheep, the better he can have that oversight over their spiritual condition. Peter then says, pastors and elders, he says, shepherd the flock of God that he has made you overseers. And he says, then do it this way, not by compulsion, but willingly. or according to God's will. Pastors aren't constrained to be pastors because they have to. They're constrained to be pastors because they are called to according to God's will and according to that desire that they have. It's the deepest desire of that man who is called in his heart that he desires to shepherd the people of God. That's why in 1 Timothy 3.1, When it talks about the character and the calling of a shepherd or an elder, it says, if anyone desires the position of a pastor or an elder or an overseer, he desires a good thing. Those two words for desire are two totally different words. One is that external desire to reach out for something that you want. And the others, epithemia, it is a lust internally, a strong longing in your heart for that. And together, those are the calling of God on a man's heart that he wants to use to lead his people. Secondly, he says, pastors are to shepherd the flock of God, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly. Boy, there is that temptation to be motivated by money and not by the love of God's people. And we see that all of the time. You know, Paul had to say in his own ministry in Acts chapter 20 and verse 33, I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities and for those who are with me. Because that was the allegation against him. You're doing this for the money. Paul says, no, I am not. I'm working with my hands to provide for my own needs. Of course, Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 6.10, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. And we see that today with men in congregations who are more greedy for money than they are anything else. Pastors have fallen to the temptation of greediness, but certainly not limited to just pastors and elders and leaders in the church. It is anybody that has that greed for money and possessions and things. But certainly when pastors succumb to that kind of greed and dishonest gain and that love of money, it sometimes has far more reaching impact than others because of the position of leadership and influence that they have that has far more reaching consequences. As a matter of fact, one of the qualifications of a pastor set down in 1 Timothy and Titus is they're not to be greedy for money, 1 Peter 3, Titus 1, 7. That call is the same for deacons as well, too. They are not to be greedy for money, 1 Timothy 3, 8. Now, that's not to say that a pastor or an elder shouldn't be properly compensated for ministry because they should. For me and Mike, you go way beyond, believe me, and we're grateful for that. 1 Corinthians 9, 7 through 14 talks about the call and need to support those in ministry. Matter of fact, Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 5, 17, let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle a Knox while it treads out the grain, and the laborer is worthy of his wages. I sometimes don't think I am, but you do with your love and giving what you do to me, and I am appreciative of that. Pastors aren't to be greedy for money. They're not to try to gain anything by dishonest means. But don't we see that over and over and over again? You just turn on your television and set to some of these religious channels and see what they say and do to a people to fleece them as much as they can. Peter talks about these people in 2 Peter 2, 3, where he says, by covetousness, they will exploit you with deceptive words. And we see that so often. They covet people, they covet things, and they'll do whatever they can to get it. In Titus 1, verses 10 and 11, it says, for there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things that they ought not for the sake of dishonest gain. They will teach all of these things to draw attention to themselves so they can have gain in all of that. And Peter says, you are not in this for that. He says, when you're in that, you are in it to do it eagerly. to mean a ready mind, to be willing to do what God has called you to do. That's what Paul said in 1 Timothy 1.12. I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has enabled me because he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. And because of that, he says I can't do anything else. Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. He knew that that was his calling, and he eagerly wanted to carry that out. But Peter doesn't stop there, he says in verse three of 1 Peter 5, nor is being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. He says you're not to be domineering over the people as a master is to a slave. You're not to be autocratic or intimidating or an oppressive kind of leader. It's not I'm the pastor, it's my way or the highway. And some of you have sat under those kinds and it's very, very difficult. It's never productive for any church that has that as a leadership. It's one of being a leader. who is a servant, and Jesus modeled the greatest example of that and calls us to do the very same thing. He said in Matthew 20, verse 25, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them, yet it shall not be so among you. But whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant, and whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave. It is a servant relationship that leaders have with their congregation. But sometimes you hear of pastors that have such a dominating influence over his congregation, that everything revolves around them, and nothing is done without him. And part of the reason for that is that they don't understand, and he doesn't understand, that that congregation is not his. It's God's entrusted to him, and he serves under the great shepherd, Jesus Christ, who is the shepherd of the sheep. He is just an underling, like any leader of any church is. Pastors have been given a stewardship of people from God to mold and shape into the image of Christ, not to dominate or control for whatever He wants. So they don't lord their authority and position as a pastor and elder over them. They serve them, they lead them by what Peter goes on to say, by being examples to the flock. Paul, again, is one of the greatest examples of an elder you can follow, is his example, as was Peter for sure. Well, when you look at the Apostle Paul who wrote so much of the New Testament, and you see his relationship with the people in the congregations that he knew and loved, his life was one of service to the flock. He sacrificed for them, he labored for them, he loved them deeply, and he prayed for them often. And that's why he could say with all authority and love and grace and humility, like he did in 1 Corinthians 4.6, therefore I urge you, Imitate me. Or what he said in 1 Corinthians 11.1, imitate me just as I also imitate Christ. That's a hard thing to be able to say and encourage a congregation to do, but that's the call of all who would be in leadership like that. He told the church in Thessalonica in 1 Thessalonians 1.6, you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all. You see how that works? They become the example in leadership and humility and grace and love for you, and you follow that and you're following Christ, and then you then become the example for others to follow. It just continues on that way. With a Bible-believing church, that's the way it's supposed to be. The writer of Hebrews said in Hebrews 13.7, remember those who have the rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, consider the outcome of their conduct. And that becomes an incredible responsibility for anybody who would want to call themselves an elder or a pastor in any church. To have that congregation consider the outcome of their conduct. But Peter gives him a final exhortation in verse four there. He says, and when the chief shepherd shall appear, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. There's something waiting for you, pastor, elder, leader of the church, that will be given to all people, but certainly for you in your laboring for those I've entrusted to you. Jesus is that chief shepherd who Peter is talking about here. As a matter of fact, he said that in 1 Peter 2.25, for you are like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. And he's talking about Jesus Christ. And of course, you remember what Jesus himself said in John 10.11? I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Remember Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Hebrews 13.20 says, now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant. He is the great shepherd and we are the sheep of his pasture. Peter says then, when the chief shepherd, Jesus Christ, appears. And you wanna know something? Peter said that with such confidence. He says, I know that he's coming back. I know that he will appear someday. There's no guesswork, there's no wondering. He knew with absolute certainty, and he wrote about it over and over again in 1 and 2 Peter, that Jesus Christ is coming back. He is going to appear again. Do you have that kind of hope? Do you have that kind of assurance that you can tell anybody you talk to that, yes, one day Jesus Christ is coming back? And you want to know why we can do that? Because scripture is replete with it, that it's going to happen. Jesus himself said it's going to happen. Matter of fact, almost every single book in the New Testament talks about the return and the appearing of Jesus Christ. Several of the Old Testament books talk about his return and his appearing as well. And we understand it from the revelation of scripture that's gonna happen in two parts, the rapture of the church and then the bodily physical return of Jesus Christ to rule and reign on the earth for a thousand year period of time. And Peter knew that this was gonna happen, that Christ is coming back. And when Christ does come back, or when you meet him face-to-face at death, Peter says, you will receive your reward, you will receive your crown. And by the way, when Jesus Christ does come back, Revelation 22, 12 says, behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give everyone according to his work. He's coming back. And Peter says part of that reward is a crown of glory. Your version might say, or a crown that is glory. Both are accurate because in other words, what he's talking about is the glory of heaven, the glory of eternity is what we look for and it's almost as if we're being crowned with that and we certainly are at the point of our salvation. We get all of heaven and all of eternity because we are a born again believer. And he's really using this kind of as a comparison between that physical earthly crown that people would strive for. In 1 Corinthians 9, verses 24 and 25, it says, Paul said, He goes on to say, now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. They had a plant that was woven together and they would put that on their heads as the winners of the race. And it says, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us, and let us look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and run the race set before us. We are in the same race. But our crown is going to be the imperishable crown that will last forever, for all eternity. And that's what he is saying here. It is the imperishable crown that we all will receive at the moment we shed these bodies of flesh and have eternity waiting before us. It will never fade away. Heaven, eternal life, is forever symbolized in the crown of glory, that imperishable crown that does not fade away. That is the hope that we have. That's the motivation we have as faithful pastors and elders and congregation. No matter what the circumstances are that we're going through, we can still have that hope and look forward to the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. By the way, that's not the only crown you're gonna receive. Scripture talks about in James 1.12 and Revelation 2.10 that we'll receive the crown of life. which the Lord has promised to those who love him because they are faithful to the end. You understand these crowns are symbolic of what we receive as the prize, as what God wants to give to us, and it is eternal life. Second Timothy 4.8, there's a crown of righteousness to those who love his appearing, and all of those crowns are imperishable. and all of those will one day be fully realized for all of us one day. Christ is the chief shepherd, and we are the sheep of his flock, and he will give us those rewards according to our faithfulness to him. And I pray that it would be said of every single one of us here, what's said in Matthew 25, 23, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you rule over many things. Enter into the joy of the Lord. Won't that be a wonderful day? Let's pray.