Let's open the Bibles to the book of 1 Peter, chapter 5, and we'll continue with our Sunday evening lessons in studying 1 Peter, the 5th chapter. We finished and completed the 4th chapter in our last lesson before the holidays. So we'll pick up with 1 Peter, chapter 5, verse 1. Peter says, The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being in samples to the flock." as we progress along in our verse-by-verse study, look at these verses in detail. Now, if you'll notice, he says, the elders, which are among you, I exhort. The elders are, you might say, the pastors or bishops. Pastors would be a good thought here, because some people know the elders of the church as pastors, and we're told that they're pastors and teachers, elders or bishops, overseers actually. And the elders which are among you, he says, I exhort these elders whose business it is to feed the flock." It's their business to do this. He says, to feed the flock of God, in verse 2. The word for the elders to feed means that they are to feed them upon the word, or the word feed includes the thought of rule or guidance. Peter is exhorting the elders, and he says, Who also am an elder? Now, he was an elder not only in age, he was really an elder in age, but an elder in office as well. He held the office of a pastor. In fact, if you remember, Jesus spoke to Peter and actually gave him the task of feeding the lambs and feeding the sheep in John chapter 21. So here he Not seeing himself as above the other elders, as having a priority or having a preeminence over other elders, as a pope or as such, but he says, who also am an elder, in verse 1. He puts himself on the same level as the others that are pastors, the others that are teachers, the others that are elders to rule. So if Peter had a flock to tend to, he took care of that flock, that church. a local congregation. And he's exhorting others to do the same. There's so much in scripture when you start studying it, you'll find that we've already stated, he doesn't claim himself to be a god of the others, but on their equal basis. So the idea that some say that Peter was the first poet and all the others were under his and rule and authority. He's not saying that here, is he? He's not even indicating in any way or other, and he's not doing anything but putting himself on the same level and declaring that he's exhorting other elders to do the same. He says, The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder. and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed." He had evidently already begun to partake of some of that future glory. Peter especially could say, I'm a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed, because if you'll remember, he said that he was with him on the Holy Mount when this was a preview so to speak, of the coming of Christ and the glory of Christ. And he declares that to be the case, I believe you will find it in 2 Peter chapter 1. Look in 2 Peter chapter 1, where he says in verse 16, We have not followed cunningly the vice fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy mount." So Peter refers back to that incident on the Mount of Transfiguration, and he says, "...we were eyewitnesses of his power, of the power and coming. We make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." And so the Mount of Transfiguration was, in Peter's mind, a preview of that power and the coming of Christ. He saw Christ transfigured, and he saw Moses and Elijah, the two faithful witnesses, with him there in the Holy Mount. And that's one reason I believe that the two faithful witnesses you find in Revelation 11 at least speak of these two prophets, of Moses and Elijah. Some say Enoch and Elijah. I believe he's referring to Moses and Elijah, and the signs that both were given are indicated in Revelation 11. Sometime when we study Revelation, I'll give you other thoughts concerning these two witnesses to point them out. I might just as well say here and now, though, that it does not necessarily mean that they themselves will personally reappear. though it could be that they will reappear, but it does mean that these two prophets, these two witnesses of Revelation 11, will have the same characteristics and same credentials as the Moses and Elijah of the Old Testament, and that's very plain and evident. I better explain it. To explain in one thing, I have to explain in another. The reason I say that is because when you study, when Jesus is talking about John the Baptist, he says this is Elijah that was to come. Now then, he didn't mean that John the Baptist was a reincarnation of Elijah. He meant that he was Elijah like in his coming before Christ. He came before Christ in the first coming of Christ. John the Baptist did. Well, Elijah will be preceding the second coming of Christ in power and great glory. We're not talking about the rapture now, we're talking about Revelation 11 precedes or comes before Revelation 19, where Jesus comes back in power and great glory. But that's another subject altogether, but I didn't want to leave you on a limb when I mentioned that. So back in 1 Peter 5, when he says, also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed." Evidently he was a partaker in that he had already witnessed that glory, and certainly he would be a partaker of it when it was revealed, when Christ's glory would be revealed in the future, when it actually does happen. But then he exhorts them in verse 2, he says, "...feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof." There are some good instructions here for pastors. The word feed means to rule or to guide. I can give you other scriptures in a moment. First of all, he says, the flock of God which is among you. The pastor's business is to be in the community and live among the flock. That's the best situation. It doesn't mean that a pastor cannot pastor a church at a long distance. It was said of Dr. Norris that he pastored in Fort Worth, the first established church of Fort Worth, and at the same time we would fly to Decoy, had a big church in Decoy, Michigan. But it's not very convenient, and it's not the most ideal thing. The most ideal is that the pastor live among his people, in the same community, and be at hand, be close by. And you know, when you pastor a church, it doesn't mean, it means simply that you have to have all the family, the church family, in speaking and walking and communicating distance with one another where you can be involved in all their needs. It doesn't just automatically happen that a church exists without leadership and without a pastor being among them. Though the pastor encourages each and every member to minister to one another, yet he has to be present some way, somehow. They have to know he's there. They have to know he's there so when they want to call, they can call. When they need him, he's there. When there's a wedding, he's there. When there's a funeral, he's there. When there's a sickness, he's there. When there's a problem that needs to be talked about, he's there. So that the heirs which are among you, he says, feed the flock of God. Feed the flock of God which is among you. So that word among you means he's to be with them, taking the oversight thereof. When we are talking about feeding, let me give you some references. If you look in Hebrews 13 verse 17, there are several passages of scripture that would be worthy of our notice. Do you have it? It says, obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves. The word rule in the marginal reference here is the guide, it says, or guide. It doesn't mean rule as a dictator, but ruler or guide. Obey them that have the guide or rulership, leadership over you. You see, a pastor is to lead and to guide and to rule. And again, I clarify, it's not as if he dictates anything at all. He doesn't. But he guides by example and he guides by scriptural knowledge, the word of God. And it says, And submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief, for that is unpromptable for you. In other words, The pastor will have to give an account at the coming of Christ for his direction and his guide over the flock. The pastor of a church becomes personally responsible to guide and to lead in the things of God. And that means in the Word of God especially. When it says feed, it's not only we and God, but it's to feed them upon the Word of God, which we'll get to in a moment. But we're trying to give you some things that are involved in that word that we read in 1 Peter 5, verse 2. Feed the flock of God. The flock has to do with the church having lambs and having sheep, having young ones and older ones. A flock is made up, you know if you have a flock of sheep out here, you have the ewe lambs, you have the male lambs, you have the little lambs too. And that's exactly what Jesus told Peter. Look in the book of John chapter 21. John chapter 21, beginning with verse 15. And Jesus is speaking to Peter here, and giving special directions to the one that is writing this epistle that we've been reading and studying. He's writing this letter, 1 Peter, to other elders. And the benefit of it, what he's saying, is for other elders, preachers. Look at verse 15, So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. See that? Lambs first, the little sheep, the lambs, the newborns. He says to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? What you have to have first is love. Jesus says first do you love me? Then if you love me, you feed my lambs. And then if you love me, feed my sheep, he says in verse 16. Lord, thou knowest that I love thee, he said unto him, feed my sheep. In verse 17, he said unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus said unto him, feed my sheep. So three times over, Jesus said, feed my lambs, feed my sheep, feed my sheep. And we've already been discussing what the word feed means. It means to do all these things that we've pointed out. Let me give you some more references. Let's see, we gave you the one in Hebrews. Let's look in a couple more passages. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, let me give you a verse here, verse 12. 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 12. It says, And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord. and admonish you. See that? See? Those which labor among you and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake, and to be at peace among yourselves. So Paul says, to know them, to know their place of leadership and guidance and labor, and how they admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love, in love. That's what a pastor wants, is love from his people. for their work's sake, because of the word, and be at peace among yourselves. You know, the thing that pleases the pastor more is for his people to be at peace with one another. Be at peace among yourselves. You know, I don't like to have something going on, turmoil of any kind in the church. The Bible says that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. He's the author of peace, but he's not the author of confusion. If you have confusion going on, know that God didn't bring that about. People brought that about, right? Differences and maybe strife and envy and pride. But it says only by pride, in the Old Testament and Proverbs, only by pride cometh contention. So if we have contention in the church, let's try to anvil ourselves in the sight of God and realize that if we get rid of pride, then those things will level out and we won't have the problem. If it's only by pride, you know, it didn't say any other way. Go back in Proverbs, I gave you the verse, but it's there. Only by pride come of contention. So if it comes in any other way, then that scripture wouldn't be true, would it? Because it says it's only that way. Only. So anyway, this passage we just read for you in 1 Thessalonians. Now let me give you another one. Look in 1 Timothy 5, verses 17 and 18. It says, Let the elders that knew well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in word and doctrine. in word, that is, in the teaching of the word, in the word of God, and in doctrine, the teaching of that doctrine, or that word. And it says, Let the elders that knew well be counted worthy of double honor. And verse 18 says, and if you'll notice, it's connected with verse 17, For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn, and the laborer is worthy of his reward. against an elder, receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses." is really guilty of something, right? Don't just take it because one guy says, now that preacher did so and so, you better have some witnesses that he actually is guilty of certain things. You know, there's a lot of teaching here, and I feel it necessary, even though I'm a pastor, to be true to the scripture, and I'm not saying it for my own benefit, but I just want you to see something here. You know, you've heard of folks complaining about how much the preacher gets in in pay. Have you ever heard folks complain about what the preacher gets? But I want to show you something, and I'll be true to the scripture here. And it's not that I'm expecting it. Never have. But if you look at that verse 17, it says, Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor. That word honor there actually refers to their pay. So they're really supposed to be worthy of double pay. And you can search that out for yourself and I won't dwell on it because some people might think I'm twisting that for my own profit. But I want you to see that and you study it out for yourself. So anytime you complain, you know why that is necessary? is told in Peter giving the directions and the qualifications of the elders, he says let them be there to be hospitable to all. In other words, there to have the finances to take care of other people and to show their hospitality, and they can't do it. They can't pay the bill for other folks if they only get enough for themselves, right? That would be why they need the double honor, you see, because they have more expenses. If it's just me taking care of myself and I live on $100 a week, that's fine and dandy, I can make it. But if I have greater obligations, I have greater needs, right? It's just like your family. If you have a small family, one or two to take care of, it takes less, right? But when your obligations increase, it takes more. And God has seen to it that you have sufficient in those areas. But let's get back to this teaching. You can search that out if you want to later, and as I say, I won't dwell on it. But next time you hear somebody complaining about how much the preacher gets, you might remind them that he's supposed to get more. All right? Let's look at this. Come back to 1 Peter chapter 5, if you will. It says, feed the flock of God which is among you. We've always said the word feed means to guide, to rule, to oversee. In fact, Peter makes it very clear what it is. He says, feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight, so he's an overseer, thereof, not by constraint, he's not to be a dictator, but willingly, and not for filthy lucre, not for the money. Not to preach for the money, but of a ready mind. He's to be willing to do it whether he gets anything or a great deal for his services. Though the scripture we read back there says, For the laborer is worthy of his hire, which Jesus said. But this verse says he's not to do it for that purpose. And we should realize that the true preacher of God, The pastor, the one who wants to preach the word of God will preach whether he gets anything, whether he gets a whole lot, whether he has to do with very little. And I've done it in all different directions. I've done without, I've done with. You know, Paul says that in his ministry, he says, I am full, having received Epaphroditus, the things that were sent in the book of Philippians. He says, I have enough now. But at times, he says, I was in hunger and thirst and I was without. And he says, I've learned that whatsoever state I'm in, Paul would preach whether he got anything or not, wouldn't he? He says, there is to be content. And Paul could be contented and he could be satisfied even if he had to suffer and do without a great deal. And so, then it says, not for filthy lucre's sake, if you take a preacher that will preach for a good salary, or a preacher who preached for half the salary, or a preacher who preached for nothing, then God is in it. In other words, he's used to be willing to preach regardless. He doesn't set a price on it. And as I say, I've been there in all different avenues of that. Thank God that the church is able, and I appreciate the support that I get now because I'm able to live. But you can ask the finance committee and those that have had to charge the money and answer yourself if it hasn't been different at times. I don't think you'll get any argument with that. But anyway, let's look at this. It says, Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight. What are we to feed them? Feed them upon the word of God. Remember Peter said, feed the babes. Look in 1 Peter 2, verses 1 and 2. Just turn back a page in your Bible. It says, Therefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and all hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. The babes are to be fed on what? The milk of the word. Newborn Christians need the simple things of the word of God, the milk of the word. They need the ordinary, simple, understandable teachings of the word. You can't teach one that has just become a Christian the very deepest things. But a lot of people grow up quicker than you think. And a lot of new Christians grow up so rapidly that they are more mature than some that have been in the church for years. Now that's really the reverse situation as to what it ought to be, isn't it? The younger Christians ought to begin to grow and grow progressively in their Christian lives, and the older ones should have already been more mature. But sometimes it doesn't work that way. I can thank God when we have mature Christians that have been in the church a long time and have been taught and are grounded in the word. That's a great thing, isn't it? To have mature Christians. Full grown. being fed on the meat of the Word, the doctrines of grace. And they know that salvation is by grace. They know Jesus died for our sins, that he was a sacrifice. They know that he rose again the third day. They know he was sinless. They know he was virgin-born. They know that he ascended back to heaven. They know that he's coming again. These are simple and yet fundamental things that they've grown to maturity in these great truths of God's Word. And I would that everyone present, and I'm sure that most of you have by now, grown to the place that you know that you cannot deny these certain fundamentals of the faith, and that you've been fed upon them enough. And I'll try to feed you upon them each time we meet, so much so that even if you're a young Christian, you'll be grounded in these truths. And you won't go away and say, well, I don't know what to believe about the Virgin and the Virgin of Christ. You know what you are to believe. You know that the Bible says that a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted, is God with us. That Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh. See, you'll know after being taught that a few times, even if you're, as I say, a young Christian, you'll know that this is what the Bible says. And that's why I believe in feeding the whole church plenty of the doctrines of grace. There's no reason for you to go out of the house of God and wonder whether or not salvation is free to you. Because the Bible says as many as received him, to them gave he power to become children, sons of God, even to them that believed on his name. There's no need for you to go out of the house of God and be in doubt as to the substitutionary work of Christ on the cross, that he took your place in death and in suffering, and he died for our sins according to the scriptures. See, the simple truths of the gospel, you should have a grasp of all that, and you grow to maturity being fed on, and as a newborn babe, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. Look in the book of Hebrews chapter 5, if you will. Some people are to be fed on stronger meat of the word of God, and become more mature. But I want you to notice, Paul was writing to some that had not grown that much. Look at this in Hebrews chapter 5, beginning with verse 12. Now let's begin with verse 11. He says, Of whom we have many things to say, referring to Melchizedek. He says, We have many things to say. But he says, and hard to be uttered, seeing that you are dull of hearing. These Hebrew Christians by this time should have known something about the doctrines of grace, and in this case they should have known about the typology of Melchizedek, how he is typical of Christ our great high priest, you see. And they should have known or at least be able to understand that. And Paul says, they are hard to be uttered, the things about him, because you are dull at hearing. In other words, you have not yet matured enough to understand it. Now look what he says. For when for the time you ought to be teachers. He is saying, right now you ought to be grown enough and mature enough in the doctrines of grace to be teachers of others. But he says, you have need that one teach you again. which be the first principles of the oracles of God." He says, you've been in the church a long time, you've been Christians a long time, and you need to be taught your ABCs. You know, we have this in high school today, don't we? We have those that are graduating from high school today that cannot read and write properly. Have you ever looked in the situation? Look at what they tell about on the news media of how many people that actually stumble their way through high school and they can't even read and write. Which is a shame and a disgrace, isn't it? And it's just like here. Paul says you ought to be teachers now, you ought to be able to understand things, and you have neither the first principles of the oracles of God. In other words, you need to go back and be taught the ABCs of the gospel. Isn't it a sad thing that this condition exists in many churches today? That you have people that have been in church all their life and they cannot tell you the fundamentals of the faith, the doctrines of grace, that they should be like ABCs to them over now? But it's true. It's true that in some churches they have not been taught the doctrines of grace enough that they know that the plan of salvation that they know the deity of Christ, the birth of Christ, the sinlessness of Christ, the death, burial, resurrection of Christ, the ascension of Christ, his priesthood on the right hand of God, the promise of his coming again. And they have those things so meddled and mixed up in their mind, blind. They have not heard rightly divided the word of truth. And that's true in many churches across the land. I had one fella tell me the other day, walked in the store, was talking to him, a good Christian man, brought him to another church here in town, and this wonderful guy, I love him, careful about him, he says, all I want is somebody to guarantee me a ticket to heaven. He says, I wish it were possible. I said, well, it's possible. I said, it's not only possible, but very probable if you will accept, you know, if you accept the right plan. God, Jesus guarantees our presence in heaven. He says, those that believe in me, He says, that they will be with me. He said, I pray, Father, that they shall behold my glory. All those whom thou hast given me. John 14, I mean 17, verse 24. He says, I will. Father, I will. I want everyone that is a believer in me, to behold my glory, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world, to be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory. And so Jesus has prayed that we will be in heaven with him. And he said, Father, I don't want, of any one of these, I don't want to lose one. I've kept them in thy name, and now I want you to keep their glory. So it's possible to have the guarantee of God's word, the promise of God's word. When you look at the promise of God's word, you look who it applies to. Who does it apply to? God made a promise. You know, you and I do not take a staff, a shepherd's staff, and go out here and smite the water and it parts from one side to another. God didn't promise us that we'd walk up to the Pacific Ocean and smite the ocean and walk over to Hawaiian Islands, did He? He promised Moses, though, He says, you take this rod in your hand and I will part the sea. Who was the promise made to? Made to Moses, wasn't it? for the deliverance of the children of Israel. Look at the context of the promises you find in God's Word, and then you'll see who it applies to. See, you don't go by and claim every promise that was made to everyone in the Bible during any particular situation. But God will do what he's promised that he will do for you. And he'll keep every promise he's given you and I as believers. But that doesn't mean you can go back and claim every individual promise That's where people have gone so far astray today. You know, it says God wrought, listen, let me give you some things. It says God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul. Special miracles. One time was only mentioned that so from his body there were sent out claws or aprons. And those that received those were healing, you know, healing through love. And I can give you the reference in the book of Acts. But what we're saying is that it says God wrought special miracles. That doesn't give any preacher, it didn't even give Peter the right to claim that now I'm going to send out some claws for my body, that I pray over. And yet you fine fellas doing it today, don't you? Sending out prayer claws. God didn't promise him anything of that nature. God didn't tell any preachers today to go sending out prayer claws. You show me any scripture or warrant for a promise today for a preacher to do that. Peter didn't even claim it. None of the other apostles claimed it. And it was only one special time that it was done through the apostle Paul, and it was to meet a certain situation that arose, and God blessed it at that particular time. And it didn't even say then that Paul sent them out, so as they sent them out. See, you take the promises of God, and let those promises apply to whom they are intended for, and keep it within the context, and you'll get rid of a lot of this very stuff that goes on today in the name of a promise from God. You let's into it. Next time you see somebody doing certain things, say, well, did God tell him to do that? Does he have any scriptural want for such a thing? So you'll find that it's true. In many cases, or let's look at this, Hebrews 5 verse 12. We're talking about the fundamentals of the faith, what the people are to be fed upon. It says, for when for the time you ought to be teachers, verse 12, Habit 5 verse 12, you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. You see, you need ABCs, you're still babes, you need the milk. For everyone that uses milk is unskillful, that means he has no experience in the word of righteousness. He is not mature, for he is a babe. Now it's good for babies to be fed milk, but you don't want them to remain babies always. You want them to move on to solid food, don't you? You want Christians that are babes in Christ to grow and to mature and to move on to stronger food in the word of God, more maturity, and to grow up as Christians, and to be grounded in the faith, and to know the word of God. And it says that strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age. That word full age, if you look at it, it means perfect or mature. Even those who by reason of use, or habit of use, or perfection, maturity, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. In other words, they are more mature in the word of God. Okay, back to a passage we're studying in 1 Peter chapter 5. So we're talking about the elders and their responsibilities. Verse 2 says, Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight taking the rule, taking the guide, guidance, whose business it is to guide the flock, whose business it is to feed the flock, and to lead the flock, and then in verse 3 it says, neither as being lords over God's heritage, in other words, they are not dictators are they, but being look, in samples to the flock, there to be an example of what they are leading the people to do. See, pastors are to be leaders not only by guidance in the word of God, but by examples in their own lives. And I know we fall short of what we should be, but on the other hand, that is our job and our responsibility as preachers to try to be an example. We're under-shepherds, pastors and elders and teachers are under-shepherds, but it says, and when the chief shepherds shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Look at that. Isn't that a great thing that there is a chief shepherd over, who is the chief shepherd? Not Peter. Peter says, we're waiting for the chief shepherd. He didn't present himself as the chief shepherd, did he? He says, we're elders, we're all pastors, we're all the elders that feed the flock. And he says, I am also an elder. And he says, when the chief shepherd, who is that? Christ, Jesus. When Jesus Christ appears, he's the chief shepherd. It says, then you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. That's when he appears. That's when that'll happen, that fadeth not away. You know, Jesus is seen as the good shepherd, he's seen as the great shepherd, and he's seen as the chief shepherd. In John chapter 10, I believe it's verse 11, he says, I'm the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. The good shepherd. Here in 1 Peter 5 verse 4, he's the chief shepherd. But then he's the great shepherd. If you turn in Hebrews 13 again, Hebrews 13. And verse 20, how is he seen as the great shepherd? It says, Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord Jesus rather, that great shepherd of the sheep, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant. You know, the order here is really giving us a great message. Look at it now. In John, he's the good shepherd that lays down his life for the sheep. Hebrews 13 verse 20, he is the great shepherd of resurrection, the God that brought again our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sea, brought again from the dead, see, the resurrection, he's the great shepherd. And then in Peter, the one we've read, 1 Peter 5 verse 4, he's the chief shepherd when he shall appear again. So you have three aspects of Christ seen as the shepherd. The shepherd Christ is seen first of all as laying down his life for the sheep. That's on the cross. He's seen as the great shepherd in resurrection. He's seen as the chief shepherd when he shall appear again. By the way, did you know Psalm 22, 23, and 24 are corresponding to these three as well? Psalm 22, 23, and 24. Most of us know the 23rd Psalm, the Lord is my shepherd. That's the resurrected Christ. He's our shepherd having risen again. He's the one that leadeth us in green pastures and beside still waters, etc. But in Psalm 22, there wouldn't be a Psalm 23 if there was not a Psalm 22. Not only in number and in respect to Christ's office, But in order for him to be as he is in Psalm 23, that great shepherd that leads his sheep, he had to first die for the sheep. He had to be the good shepherd that died for his sheep. So Psalm 22, you know what the first verse of Psalm 22 says? My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? These were the same words that Jesus spoke on the cross as the good shepherd laid down his life for the sheep. And in Psalm 23, he is the great shepherd in the resurrection, he leads his sheep in green pastures. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Right? He goes before them. And then, in Psalm 24, it speaks of the king of glory, when he shall come in. When Christ came to this king of glory, he's going to come as the chief shepherd, isn't he, of the flock. And I believe that that corresponds with what we're teaching about these three aspects of Christ as the Great Shepherd and the Chief Shepherd. Back in our text now, 1 Peter 5, our time is about gone, we'll pick up later on. So let's look at this, these first three verses, and let's sum them up in our minds. pastors or bishops or leaders of the flock. He says, the elders which are among you, I exhort, who am also an elder, Peter was among them, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. He says, feed, or rule, or lead, or guide the flock of God which is among you, the church of God. The local church, go back in the book of Acts chapter 20, so we'll see that has to do with the local church. Acts chapter 20, if you will please. Let's read verse 17 first, and then verse 28. Verse 17, it says, And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church, of this particular church at Ephesus. And in verse 28, he says, Take ye therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, the local church, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, you see it was the elders of this church at Ephesus, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church of God. He says this flock is a church, it's a church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood. And he speaks of this church as a complete church, as a flock, but it's a church, it's the church of God. We use too many broad terms sometimes to get it out of context, but he is talking to these elders, he called a certain group of elders together, the pastors, like in the greater churches they have need of more pastors. They have need of more to serve as pastors and associates and those that help them. The bigger the church, the greater the need. And the more men it takes to fill all the position, to meet all the needs. But here he says, taking therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. So these elders of this Ephesian church were to feed that church. And it was called the flock. Notice it says the flock, and it says the church. So when Peter says, back in 1 Peter now, 5, verse 2, he says, "...feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof." And he tells us, and we've read how they are to do that very special thing. All right, our time is gone. We'll pick up in our lesson, we didn't get very far, but we'll pick up in 1 Peter 5, next Sunday evening.