You know in the Bible a double portion is considered a great blessing? Well, I have a great blessing tonight. It's a double portion because we're going to do last week's section as well as what was already planned this week, but we're going to do it. And the first section, picking up with what we would have done last week, is found in 1 Peter. Chapter 4 verses 12 till the end of the chapter. And we're going to read just that section first, and then when we're done with that and get to the next piece, we'll read that. But this is God's Word from 1 Peter. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's suffering, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed. "'because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. "'But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief "'or an evildoer or as a meddler. "'Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, "'let him not be ashamed, "'but let him glorify God in that name. "'For it is time for judgment to begin "'at the household of God. "'And if he begins with us, That will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God. And if the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. Well, in broad terms, this particular section of 1 Peter is a further consideration by Peter of the whole topic of suffering. It has already been addressed in this book, in this letter, and it is actually one of the more, if not most, significant themes of the whole letter. We saw that Peter began to address the topic in chapter 1, verse 6. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. In chapter 2, verses 19 and 20, Peter talks about suffering as it relates to slaves and servants and some of their circumstances. In chapter 3 and beginning in verse 8, really all the way through the end of the chapter, there's more discussion by Peter on this topic of suffering. And then we get to today's verses. And what does Peter have to say about the topic of suffering? And in particular, what comes out of our section tonight? And what I would have us do is really highlight three points, in particular on the topic of suffering. And the first thing that we see Peter say to us is don't be surprised by suffering. Verse 12, don't be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you. Well, in spite of those words, sometimes we are those who are surprised when difficulties, hard things, trials, enter into our lives. Our minds say to us, yes, suffering and trials are part of life. But when they come our way, we think to ourselves, why is life so hard sometimes? And why is following Christ sometimes so difficult? And when those things happen, there really is sort of a jolt factor. We find ourselves reacting to them. We react to the fact that these difficult things have happened. But Peter says to us, don't be surprised. And why is it that he can say that? Why is it in a sense that scriptures would say that? And I think there are two reasons to consider why we shouldn't be surprised. And one is that in a broad sense we shouldn't be surprised because this is a fallen world. Sin and the devil still are very much alive and still are very much at work in the world that we find ourselves. Jesus referred to the devil as the ruler of this world. That's in John chapter 12 verse 31. He's not the sovereign ruler over all things, but he is one still with great influence. The world is his domain. But the good news is, as Martin Luther wrote in the hymn, his doom is sure. The victory over Satan will come. But until then, he continues to be one who wreaks havoc. And sin is still very much present and wreaking its havoc in the world that we live in. This is a broken world. That is what sin does. And this world does not function the way that it was in a sense created to. You know, I think another way of actually looking at this is to say that we are those who were made to live in a garden. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, lived in that garden, and the world they lived in was a perfect one. But as we know, they rebelled. They rebelled against their maker, and they rebelled against the maker of that garden. And what were the consequences of that? Well, they were what? They were thrown out of the garden, and everyone who has come along since then has been thrust into an existence that is outside the garden. An existence that in fact is very much broken and is that fallen world that we live in. And life outside the garden at times can be unbelievably hard. On the large scale are wars and conflicts of which we are surrounded by many in these days. It is a world where psychological and emotional brokenness in varying degrees can be part of this life. There's suffering. Suffering would not have been part of the garden, but it is part of life for those who have been thrown out of the garden. And then there's death. And death brings its own version of suffering. There is the whole process of growing old. And if sickness comes in, the whole process of dying at times can be one of suffering. And the consequence of death. and on those who are left behind is often one of much suffering. And these are all realities that come with being thrown out of that garden. In this context we should not be surprised by suffering because it comes with the state that we find ourselves. Does that mean we like What we experience at times in life, does that mean we enjoy it? Of course not. But as Peter says, we should not be surprised. But there's a specific sort of suffering that is actually most in view by Peter in this letter. And it is the suffering associated with belonging to Christ. And we should not be surprised by it either. It should not surprise us because we know that this unbelieving world is a world that has rejected Jesus Christ and therefore also rejects those who are his. Jesus really spoke quite clearly about this in John chapter 15. If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. And so the first point to be made really by Peter about suffering and including suffering as a Christian is that it is something that should not surprise us. But he makes a second point in this section, and it's this, that God has his purposes for suffering. It comes out in verse 14. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, You are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. He is in essence saying there is actually a blessing from God that is associated with suffering. And the particular blessing that he gives reference to here is that he says that as you suffer, In this world, particularly as a Christian, that the very presence of God, His glory, comes to be with you as a believer. And that is in fact a blessing. But in broad terms, that is in essence saying that God purposes good things in the lives of those who walk through trials and tribulations. And the scripture makes that point obviously elsewhere. One passage of note that speaks to this is in James chapter 1. Again, I think familiar to us, where James writes, count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and completes, lacking in nothing. Trials and suffering produce personal growth, and that is a good thing. That is something to be desired, and that is often the fruit of what suffering can bring in our lives. It is also part of God's refining process in our lives. Peter in the first chapter speaks to that. After he says, in this you rejoice, though now for a little while if necessary you have been grieved by various trials. He goes on to say this, so that the tested genuineness of your faith more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Trials are a refining fire in our lives and in particular they have their ways of testing our faith and through that strengthening our faith and helping us see and grow in what it is to trust God in the midst of them. And I think there's one other actually a biblical image that at times can overlap with this fact that God takes hard things and uses them for good purposes. It's actually an image that comes from the prophet Jeremiah, Jeremiah 18, and that occasion when God came to Jeremiah and said, I want you to go down to the potter's household. And Jeremiah went there and there God spoke to him. He said, what do you see? And what Jeremiah saw was the potter looking at something that he'd been working on and he didn't like it. He didn't like what he saw and he took the clay and he thrust it down again to remold it and reshape it. And God said to Jeremiah, that's what I'm going to do with Israel. And there's a sense where God's work in our lives, even as individuals, is very much the same. God looks at who we are as broken sinners. And he looks at us and he says, I'm going to take you, and I'm going to remold you, and I'm going to reshape you. And clay is very much an inanimate object. But if it had feelings, you've got to believe that the hands of the potter pressing down upon it to shape it into something new would not be an enjoyable feeling. It would be filled with much pain. And there's a sense where God does take our trials and tribulations and they are used as part of his process as the potter remolding and reshaping us. And as he does it, his hands upon us at times are the hands of a firm a potter and it can hurt. Yet they are still at the same time the hands of a loving potter who has good purposes in and through it all. So that is another point that Peter makes, that God takes hard things, trials, and suffering, and has good purposes for them. I suspect that if we were to sit down and become at all honest with each other about life and those things that have brought the most growth into our lives, that most of us would say, to a great extent, it's been the hard things in life. that God has used, because often what that does in our lives is make us flee to God and His grace. It's the hurts, it's the pains, it's the suffering that we say, whoa, I need help, and where do we run for help? It's to the Lord. And it is in that context that we find ourselves growing in grace and what it is to follow Christ. And then there's a third point I think Peter makes in this section related to suffering, and it's this. It calls on us to trust in God. Verse 19, the last verse of the section. Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. Life can be hard, trials can come, just from life or from following Christ. And in it all, there is a call from the Lord to trust God while at the same time doing good. Ed Clowney was, on a personal side, he would have been deeply involved with our former pastor, Dr. Ferguson, coming to the U.S. for the first time. as he was president of Westminster Seminary. But he's written a commentary on 1 Peter and he says this about this particular verse. Knowing the merciful purpose of their Heavenly Father, Christians can commit themselves to Him even in their suffering. Christ committed himself to the Father, going to the cross. We are called to follow in his steps. He suffered according to the Father's will. Although the Father's wills are suffering for a different purpose, it is still for his glory. He is worthy of that total trust that Jesus showed. Over the weekend, one of our speakers on Saturday morning was Scott Berthiaume, and he just shared. It was actually a little bit of a bonus, I think, for those of us there. And he spoke of the significance in his life earlier this year of Psalm chapter 37, verse 3, which says, and do good. Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. And there's a sense where this is an amazingly simple but profound guide for living life as a Christian, no matter what the circumstances. There's a call of God to trust in the Lord even while doing good. And no matter what it is that's taking place as we trust in God and do good in his name, he will be the one to watch over and take care of us. So, hardships come and sometimes suffering even for the sake of Christ. And in the midst of it, there is the call of God to trust Him even while doing good. So that's a little overview of that section. There certainly are other aspects of it that, with more time, one could have jumped into. But we have one more portion to make some ground with tonight, and that is the first five verses of chapter five, where we read this. So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly as God would have you. Not for shameful gain, but eagerly. Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Well, we move now to a look by Peter at God's, you might say, shepherding purposes in the lives of his people. His own shepherding, God's own shepherding of his people and those whom he deploys to be his emissaries, if you will, to that same end. And one might ask, when was this image of God as a shepherd first used? When was it first part of the biblical narrative? Because I think we already know that it is a very profound part of the scripture's reflection of who God is and in his relationship with us. In the first place, this image actually shows up is Genesis chapter 48. It was used by Jacob as part of a blessing upon his son Joseph after Joseph had been reunited with his family in Egypt and Jacob had gone to Egypt and as he gave a blessing on Jacob he said this, the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked The God who has been my shepherd all my life along to this day. And Jacob was the first to, in the scriptural context, use this image. And it is given to us here, but we know that it was hardly the last. A verse in Psalm 78 that really, in a sense, paints the big picture. It says, Then he led his people, that is God, like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. And then there's Psalm 23. Absolutely amazing how profoundly that psalm speaks to God's people. The image of a shepherd. God is our shepherd. And certainly we know that some of the context for that is that a number of the Old Testament leaders had been shepherds themselves. Moses, I always find it fascinating that Moses, raised up in the household of Pharaoh, with the utter privileges that came with that high rank of society, was thrust by God out into the wilderness. And what was it he was called on to do? 40 years of being a shepherd and not even his own sheep, the sheep of his father-in-law. So Moses knew what it was to be a shepherd and certainly that was the experience of David, another profoundly used leader and in particular author of scripture. And much of the world in those days would have had the first-hand knowledge of sheep and shepherds. That was what much of the world would have been like as the scriptures were written. And I, for one, always find it amazing, though, that those of us who really have been urban knights, city-raised people, still almost instinctively get the significance of this image of sheep or goats being watched over by a shepherd. And when we get to the New Testament, Jesus clearly picks up on this image in John chapter 10 verses 11 and 14, where he says, I am the good shepherd. And the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. And this was the very image that Jesus reflects of himself and his role with us who are in fact his children. And this leads to Peter's reference to Jesus in our own passage as he refers to Jesus as the one who is the chief shepherd. Jesus is the chief shepherd. He is the shepherd who literally laid down his life for the sheep. He is the shepherd who one day will return for his sheep. But in the meantime, there has been put in place a divinely ordained structure for the day-to-day practical, if you will, shepherding of God's people. And it is the role of the elder, the, as you would say, under-shepherd, the shepherds who are under the chief shepherd, and their role in the life And as churches were established in the New Testament times, the absolute clear pattern is that as those churches were established, elders were put in place. In some measure, it was probably a reflection of Old Testament and what took place around synagogues with elders. But as the New Testament role of elder emerges, there was far greater clarity of the sort of role and the person who these leaders were to be. So when Peter writes this letter to these early Christians, he assumes that their churches already had elders in place. And he seeks to give clarity to their role and to their character. And he does at least three things that we'll mention here tonight. And the first thing that Peter does in this section is he identifies himself as an elder. Verse 1, so I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder. So, is Peter an apostle or is Peter an elder? The answer is obvious in a sense that he's both. And there's a sense where in verse 1 he seems to be wording this in a way that emphasizes both. He mentions being an eyewitness to the sufferings of Christ. And it would have been Peter who would have said that an eyewitness to Christ was required prerequisite to be an apostle. So he seems to affirm that part of his calling of God. But in this setting he seems most intent on coming alongside the elders in these churches by saying he is an elder just like them and this role as an elder I believe was one that would have been deeply sketched into his own mind and heart. Peter would have gone back to and been mindful of his encounter with the resurrected Jesus, after he had denied Jesus and the personal agony in his own life because he had done so. The day came where he stood before Jesus again for the first time in his resurrected presence. And we remember the exchange that took place there. And Jesus asked him, do you love me? And then Peter is asked that three times, and Peter says, I do. And Jesus responds three times by saying, feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep. The way Peter was to demonstrate that in fact he did love Jesus was by becoming, for God's people, an under-shepherd, an elder, to be one who would love and care for and tend to the well-being of the flock of God, the sheep of God's pasture. And that is the challenge that he gives to these elders. He says in verse 2, he says to them, shepherd the flock of God that is among you. And with that as the setting, he has three things, he says to them three things that should be avoided and three things to pursue. And first, to draw out the three things that he says to avoid, he says, don't be an elder under compulsion. Now that's in verse 2. In other words, avoid being an elder, if you are doing so, for someone else or because of some set of circumstances. Examples might be someone who might find themselves pushed into being an elder because of family pressure. Your grandfather was an elder. I'm an elder. You should be an elder. So they become an elder. But they are pushed into doing so. There is compulsion. There used to be a day, I don't think it's the case as much anymore, where someone might work for a company and the leadership of that company says, you know, it'd be really good for our business. if you were to become a leader in your church, and that becomes the set of circumstances in which they become an elder in a church. But Peter is saying being a shepherd of the flock of God is not something to take up because someone else is making you. One must be themselves spiritually motivated to do so. One's heart must be in it. And in some form or fashion there is a call of God upon the person who would take up such a role. A second thing to avoid, also in verse 2, Peter says, don't do this for shameful gain. Peter again addressing the whole matter of motives. It appears that even in Peter's day, there were those who would have potentially or likely did take advantage of the role of being an elder in a church. It might not have been their motive when they began, but as they found themselves in this role of influence, they found themselves drawn into taking advantage of it for their own gain. I tried to think of examples, and the one that came to mind is really out there. It's rather dramatic, but it was one for, in many ways, for our whole country to see. And it was Jim Baker and the TTL Club just up the highway between Rock Hill and Charlotte. And the whole growth of his TV ministry and an amusement park filled with lots of things, big houses, et cetera. And there are certainly different layers to looking at that episode in our own American church history. But there were many who seemed to think that when Jim Baker began his ministry that he was genuinely a sincere, a simple Christian pastor who wanted to serve the Lord. But over time things began to change, and one suspects with the power of influence, the power of seeing people begin to respond to him, a willingness to give money in response to him, and there became, if you will, an intoxication with what was taking place. And things went from serving the Lord to pursuing shameful gain. And it really is something that can happen on a smaller scale. And Peter says, don't be an elder for that reason. And then he has one more thing to avoid. He says, don't be domineering. Where some might be drawn into eldership for personal gain, others may actually fall into the trap of wanting to lord it over others. I think the context for understanding this is what we all see from time to time in the work world or even in families. And one suspects, and it is not only part of our own world but would have been in Peter's day as well, that there are those whose leadership style, when put in places of authority, is that of a domination. They lord it over people. And Peter clearly says that is not to be a trait of one who serves as an elder, serving the flock of God. And I'll stretch that out. It really should not be the trait of one who is a husband and shepherding his family, his wife, or a father shepherding his family. Well then Peter counters these three negatives with three positives. And he first of all says, don't serve under compulsion but do so willingly. Again, addressing motives. Verse 2, aspiring to be an elder we know is a good thing. Paul addresses that in 1st Timothy chapter 3. He writes, the saying is trustworthy if anyone aspires to the office of overseer. He desires a noble task. It is a good thing. But where does desire to shepherd the flock of God come from? You know, it isn't something that is born into a person. It is not a natural thing to want to care for and serve God's people. It is the work of God that creates such a desire. It is God's work that curates that willingly that Peter speaks of. It creates it in the beginning and it takes God, in reality, to keep that willingly as part of the spirit of an elder who would seek to serve the church. We saw this Sunday dramatic dimensions of that from Jonah chapter 1. Jonah clearly had the call of God. But how did he do on the willingly part? Well he didn't do it all well on the willingly. He got on the boat seeking to get away from God because his willingly was not there. But what else did we discover? We discovered that God was himself willing to do whatever it would take to deal with the heart of one called to serve God's people. And Jonah was dealt with. And God's role in our own lives is the same, to not only call but to place into the heart of those who would serve God's flock the desire to do so. There's a second positive Peter mentions. Not just willingly, he says, but also eagerly. Not for shameful gain, but eagerly. Again, Peter addressing the whole matter of motive. It is not something that we should, those who are called to such things, should see as a great dodgery, but should be fully engaged with in terms of heart and willingness to do so. And then there's a third positive. Peter mentions to also be examples to the flock. Elders, undershepherds, certainly come with a variety of gifts and talents. I was about to say shapes and sizes, that's true too. But elders certainly are called by God and come with a whole variety of gifts and talents and sometimes an elder may struggle with their own sense of adequacy for the calling that God has placed upon them and in one sense it is good to feel inadequate but here is something that Peter says to those called to such a task that really everyone called to it can do, and that is to live in a way that illustrates what it is to live for and follow Jesus Christ. And in some ways it is potentially the most important, influential role that an elder can have. We had one of our own elders go to be with the Lord late last week, John Cooper. Anyone that knew John knew that he was a quiet sort, a gentle sort, but there were those who came to his funeral and spoke of the great impact this quiet, gentle elder had had on their lives as a young person, as he and his wife loved them, and cared for them, and shepherded them in life. And he was a living example of the significance of what Peter talks about, of what it is to be an example to the flock, of what it is to live for Jesus Christ. Well this section concludes with Peter mentioning awards associated with faithfulness to these things. He also addresses the whole topic of humility which runs over into next week's section and I'll leave a little bit of that there for our teacher next week who can pick up and draw those pieces related to humility together. Well, this section in chapter 5 certainly addresses elders, those called to this very important role in the life of the church, an important role throughout the centuries. But I think in some ways the principles that come out here really do bleed over into some other arenas of life and into the roles that others who really aren't even called elders still might have. And I think in particular really of the role of a father or a mother. caring for those flocks given to us during a different period of time and doing so in a way that is not domineering over our flock and being that example of what it is to follow Jesus Christ and really along with elders in that particular sphere of life, the significant influence that can be upon lives. And even as grandparents, I can't skip that. In fact, even struck at how profoundly the role that Christian grandparents sometimes have on their grandchildren, influencing them more than anyone else for what it really means to live for and follow Jesus Christ because they've been such an example. And I'll close with just one more example out of our life of our church, Darius Britschko. last week lost his 100-year-old grandfather, who had been a pastor in Poland during some very challenging days in the life of Poland, living under communism and other settings. And Darius will be quick to tell you the profound influence his grandfather, both as his grandfather and as a pastor, had on his Christian life and moved really to tears to speak of the different impacts that his grandfather had on him. And it's just one more illustration to us all of the significance, really not just for elders, but for all of us of what it is to live before the world, to live before those who God puts us most in contact with. of being that example of what it is to live for and follow Jesus Christ. And as we seek to do that, God has his way of, and why sometimes we are clueless of, using that to impact the life of someone else. Well, that's the double portion tonight. A couple of great sections from 1 Peter, but let's Close with prayer. We'll take a second, a minute or two for some transition, and those who stay will gather for a group prayer. Well, let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your love and shepherding role in our lives. You are the chief shepherd, the one who has laid down his life for us. And we thank you for the ways the scriptures bring that alive to us. But we are mindful in different ways of how that has been fleshed out in our lives, often through church leadership that you have put in place, who have cared for us, who have watched over us, who protected us from things that might bring us harm. but in many ways most of all who've been living examples to us of what it is to live for you. So Lord, help us come to you with great gratitude for that even as we would plead to you that in some small measure you might take our lives even now and continue to use them in such ways in each other's lives. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.