Shepherd the Flock of God..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. the first letter of Peter. And I hope that by the grace of God, we may be able to start now chapter five, which is going to be the last chapter of this letter.

And also we will be addressing, I hope, verses one through four in chapter five of the first letter of Peter. And we are going to be doing that in context, in light of what the apostle said in the previous section. ended in chapter number four. So as we always do in order to get the context of what the apostle is doing and understand what he's doing in verses one through four in chapter five, let's read together, paying much attention to each one of the words of our Lord and Savior from chapter four, verse 12, all the end through the end of the book. So chapter four, verse 12.

Going through chapter 5 until the end of this book. So this is the glorious, perfect, all-sufficient, ever-enduring, life-changing, soul-purifying Word of God. Chapter 4, verse 12. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as through something strange were happening to you, but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's offerings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when this 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 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 it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if the righteous is cursedly 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." 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. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time He might exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you. Be sober-minded, be watchful.

Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him firming your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you, To His eternal glory in Christ will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

by Silvanus, a faithful brother. As I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings. And so does Mark, my son.

Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. Amen. This is the Word of God. Now, brothers and sisters, as I said, we're addressing verses one through verses four in Chapter five in light of the context of what the Apostle or the Spirit of God through the Apostle Peter has given us, especially between verses 12 through the end of Chapter four.

It is a very clear exhortation. The Apostle is going to give an exhortation to the elders of those churches in Pontius, Galatia, Asia, Cappadocia and Bithynia. And, of course, to all the elders of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a clear exhortation to the elders. Even the Apostle Peter uses the word, I exhort you, the elders among you.

But as I said, we are to understand this exhortation in the context of what we have studied so far, primarily the immediate context that is given to us from verses 12 through verse 19. And this is because if you see in your ESV or in your New American Standard Bible, you will have a connecting word that says, so I exhort you or therefore I exhort you. If you have a different translation, there will be an implicit transition that shows us that there is a connection between the previous thing that Apostle Paul has said and this exhortation that now is going to be given to the elders. This is of vital importance, brothers and sisters, that we may understand this exhortation given to the elders, which in this passage are referred to as shepherds or those who exercise oversight upon the churches in light of the context of what we have discussed. Now, the exhortation is quite clear and simple to understand.

Here we have the Apostle Peter given an exhortation to the elders and the elders, as we know, is one of those ministers or offices that the Lord Jesus Christ has gifted the church with. He has given apostles and prophets and evangelists and Here shepherds or elders or pastors and also teachers. That is what we read and this is what we know in Ephesians chapter 4, that these offices of these ministries that the Lord has gifted the church with is for the edification of the church, for the building up of the church, for the coming together of the church in unity, in likeness to the person of Jesus Christ. So the exhortation that we have in chapter five is of vital importance, not only for those who claim and say that they are elders or who are elders, but also for the church as a whole. The life of the church, the building up of the church depends on this office or this ministry, the office of an elder.

Now, as I said, it is important for us to understand that exhortation in light of the context of the things that we have already meditated upon, especially at the end of Chapter four. The broader context that which comes from verse 12 speaks of suffering. We have already spoke about it. It is about suffering and the Apostle is going to give us these two categories of suffering for righteousness sake and also suffering for unrighteousness or suffering when a person is a sinner. Now, from this category of suffering for unrighteousness, the apostle falls into the more immediate context, namely the judgment of God is starting or beginning at the household of God.

That is what we have in verse 17. It says, For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And now, brothers and sisters, I'm going to argue and I'm going to try to present for you from Scripture that the intention of the Apostle, not only in the context of Chapter 5, but in general, taking Chapter 4, it is to understand the role of the elder with a proper understanding of the judgment of God beginning at the household of God. And I try to explain to you to the best of my limited ability last week this concept of the judgment of God. But let me just try to put something else in your mind so that we will understand.

in a biblical way, the exhortation that the apostle is given here to the elders. And let me, in a way, somehow redeem the word judgment. Because, brothers and sisters, we should not be afraid of using the words that the Bible uses. We should not be afraid for our understanding of a word to use the words that the Bible clearly and openly and freely uses. Because they're not words that are written in a book, but are words that the Spirit of God, through His apostles, had decided to ink on these pages for the church.

And that is that the judgment of God begins at the household of God. So how are we going to understand this judgment, trying to go a little bit deeper into what we said last week? Well, brothers and sisters, every time that we use this word judgment, and especially in the English language, the first thing that comes into our mind is a negative aspect. We see this as fire coming from heaven upon a particular person and this condemning decision of God against a particular person. so when we connect the word judgment with the word church that makes us uncomfortable because that's the definition or simple understanding that we have of judgment of God to the point that as I said last week many people feel uncomfortable connecting the word judgment with the word household of God, while the Bible clearly puts it together.

And as I showed to you from Hebrews and other passages in 1 Corinthians, the Bible freely and openly put judgment with the household of God, with the church. Judgment, my beloved, of Christ, it comes from the root of simply making a decision, of separating something. It comes from the process of discerning, of distinguishing, making a decision. And that decision is based on a particular standard. Judgment, in a sense, is the process of distinguishing or separating or deciding upon something based on a particular standard.

Judgment requires that you act upon the decision that you have made based according or based on this standard or this measure. And there's no other way to explain the word or the concept of judgment than by using the Word of God itself. So I'm going to take you to Matthew chapter seven, in which our Lord Jesus Christ is not only going to teach about judgment, but he's going to illustrate very clearly what judgment is and what is the idea of judgment that we should have to understand the context of the passage that we have in first Peter. So if you go to Matthew chapter seven in verses one through five, You will have a very famous person of scripture that is commonly used by the Western English speaking church to say that we are not supposed to judge. Now, Matthew chapter seven, verse one through five.

It says. Judge not that you should that you be not judge. For with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye when there is the log in your own eye?

You hypocrite! First, take the lock out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. It says in the beginning, judge not that you be not judged, for with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged. In the Greek sense, because with the judgment that you judge, you will be judged. Now, brothers and sisters, here it uses the word judgment and measure because the author here of Scripture is not so much pointing to the fact that we are not supposed to judge, but rather that the type of judgment that we are supposed to do, it is a clear judgment.

So that is that we are to clean our eye first so that we can see our brother clearly and then execute or pronounce, if you want, judgment according to a clear standard. The issue that we have in this chapter, in this portion of the scripture, is not so much a person doing, well, pronouncing judgment, but rather hypocritical judgment. Because this person has a dirty eye and now he's coming in a hypocritical way to point to another saying, your eye is also dirty. The Bible is clearly here pointing to hypocritical judgment and not that we are not supposed to judge. Because judgment is simply deciding clearly, if you want, without any type of dirtiness in your eyes, clearly according to a righteous standard.

When the Pharisees came to accuse the Lord Jesus Christ of doing things that, in their view, were illegal on the Sabbath day, The Lord Jesus Christ says something in John chapter 7, Do not judge according to external appearances, but judge with righteous judgment. He was saying that judgment was meant to be done according to this measure of righteousness. And the measure of righteousness or the standard of righteousness is the righteousness of God. Brothers and sisters, Judgment is discerning, separating, distinguishing between that which is unrighteous and that which is righteous according to God's standard, according to the righteous standard of God. And when judgment is done according to the righteous standard of God, that is what the Bible calls Righteous judgment.

So we should not be afraid of pronouncing righteous judgment. We should be afraid of being hypocrites and pronouncing hypocritical judgment because that shows something in our hearts and in our souls. This is vital. And this is very important because if you come back to first Peter in the portion of scripture that we have, When the Lord, through this Apostle, the Apostle Peter, is speaking about the judgment of God, beginning at the household of God, is precisely that, measuring the church according to the righteous standard of God. It is measuring the church according to the righteous standard of God.

That's why he has started speaking about suffering for righteousness sake and suffering for unrighteousness. That is sin. So when the Lord sees sin in the midst of the church, judgment begins at the household of God. And as I said, brothers and sisters, last week, The intention of Peter was not other than to bring fear of the Lord among the congregation, because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and through the fear of the Lord is that holiness is brought into perfection." 2 Corinthians 7, verse 1.

It is in the fear of the Lord that holiness is made perfect, brought to completion. So Peter wanted to bring a reverential fear of the Lord among the church and among the people so that they will see that holiness was required and that they were not supposed to suffer as sinners, but they were supposed to suffer for righteousness sake. But I said also to you, brothers and sisters, that thanks to God that all of our condemnation, that all of our legal penalty that we deserve because of our sin has been fully paid by the Lord Jesus Christ. So in the legal sense of judgment, the Lord Jesus Christ received all the judgment that we deserve. The wrath of God was poured upon the cross and legally speaking, judicially speaking, forensically speaking, The Lord Jesus Christ received all the judgment that we deserve and that debt has been paid once for all.

It is finished. There's nothing that we can do to add to that payment. So judgment for the church is not unto come the nation. But as I said to you from 1 Corinthians 11, in the end of that chapter, the judgment of God upon the church is for discipline. So Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 32, I think, he says, so when I am judged, speaking of Christians, so better, so when you are judged, You are disciplined so that you will not be condemned with the rest of the world.

For the world, judgment is unto condemnation, but for the church, it is discipline. And I said to you, brothers and sisters, that this judgment of God unto His people, it is for discipline with the purpose and intention of purifying the church, of cleansing the church, And the purification of the church is at two levels. The first level is purifying from those who are false believers. Purifying the church from those who are within the context of the visible church, but who are not truly in the person of Jesus Christ. So, as Peter says in chapter 1 verse 6, that the testing of the trials that are for the Christians are with two purposes.

testing the genuineness of their faith and also to make them endure until the end. So guess what? If a person is not in Christ, that person will fall into the category of the seed that falls on the rocky ground as the parable of the seeds. And when tribulation comes, when the sun is burning heat and is very strong, then the tribulation will make those people fall away because they were never in Christ. The Lord wants to purify his church and he does it by removing those who are not in Christ, removing them from the context of the church, but also the discipline for the genuine Christian.

It is also a purifying work of the Lord. Hebrews chapter 12 says that He is a Father, that He loves us and if He loves us, He disciplines us. And if He does not discipline us, that means that He does not love us, but He loves us. And for that reason, He disciplines His children with the purpose of growing in conformity to the person of Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, beloved of Christ, the judgment of God beginning at the household of God is with the purpose of the purification of the church, covenantally or community level speaking, but also the purifying of our individual souls and hearts.

The purpose of the Lord for the church and for the Christian is that of holiness. The purpose of the Lord for the individual and for the church is of holiness, is of purity. So Paul writes in Ephesians 1, verse 3 and 4, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, and who has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world. To what? To be holy and blameless.

We were chosen, Paul says in Ephesians chapter 1. We were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. And this choosing, this election in the person of Christ is with the purpose to be holy and blameless. And I don't need to know your name or your life to conclude biblically that you are not holy and that you are not perfect. So then, therefore, you need of the working power of the Holy Spirit in your life to actually accomplish that which the Bible says that is the purpose for your soul if you're in Christ.

But the apostle Paul in Ephesians does not only leave that purpose at the individual level in chapter 1. In chapter 5, when he's speaking of marriage, and then he's giving the analogy of Christ and the church, he uses exactly the same words to speak of the purpose of Christ for the church. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for her, so that he may present her sanctified, washed by the purified power of the water, without blemish, without spot, Holy, blameless, exactly the words that were used in chapter one, because the purpose of God for the individual is holiness and purity and the purpose of God for the church as a community. It is also that the church and the community will be Pure, unholy. So when Peter is speaking to these sinners, to these murderers or thieves or meddlers or evildoers, he's trying to bring the fear of the Lord so that they will not continue in sin because the church is to be purified.

Now, brothers, this is of vital importance for you to understand that judgment is this discerning, deciding according to a righteous standard, is making a decision according to a righteous standard. And of course, That standard is the standard of God, because what I'm trying to say to you here, it is that there is an important connection between the judgment of God, beginning at the household of God, and the office of the elder, and the office of the elder. What I'm going to argue to you, not only biblically, but also from the context, is that this judgment of God, beginning at the household of God, that it is with the purpose of discipline and with the purpose of purification, not unto condemnation as for those who are not in Christ, but unto discipline and unto purification most of the time. It starts from within the church. So it is not that God is going to send fire from heaven over the church, but rather that God executes and pronounces His judgment most of the time.

from within the context of the church. In other words, that God pronounces or executes or initiates or instigates his judgment from within the context of the people of God. And he uses the people of God to execute this judgment. And I hope that we are not uncomfortable at this point using those words because we know what judgment unto the children of God means. discipline and purification.

Now, this is the case of the workings of God with his people throughout church history. And I'm not saying church history is speaking of church history as in books, but church history in this book from the beginnings of the people of God dealing with God until the end of the book. You may remember the very good example. There are hundreds of examples in the Old Testament of God executing judgment to his people, using his own people actually to accomplish and to pronounce that judgment. But there is a very clear example that is found in Judges chapter 7.

So come with me, please, to Judges chapter 7. And you may remember the story of Achan. Judges chapter seven. Now, brothers and sisters and friends, what I'm trying to do here with all of these things that I've said is to prove to you that indeed judgment begins at the household of God. and that the judgment which is unto discipline and purification within the context of the church, it is that which defines, in a sense, the role of the elder that is addressed in chapter 5 by the Apostle.

Why? Because most of the judgments of God upon the church initiate or start within the context of the people of God. You may remember the story here when Joshua has been entrusted now with the task of conquering the remaining portions of the land. And now they were defeating people. They had just started the journey and defeating people.

And they were told not to take anything from the enemies. But Achan secretly took some possessions, secretly. And for that reason, the Lord was not going with the whole people of Israel in their travels and in their endeavors. So Joshua comes before the Lord to ask Him what is going on, what is happening, and the Lord is going to reveal to Joshua that there is sin among the people. So if we take that from verse 16 in Judges chapter 7, I want you to see here clearly how the judgment of God is pronounced or executed within the context, not of Gentiles, Not of the context of those who are not the people of God, but this is Israel.

This is the people of God. So verse 16, it says... I said judges, right? Sorry, Joshua. Joshua chapter 7.

I knew that there was something... Joshua chapter 7. Joshua chapter 7. Very briefly, I tried to explain to you verses 1 through 15. Now let's just take a reading from verse 16.

Joshua chapter 7. Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel nearby the tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. And he brought near the clans of Judah, and the clans of the Syrahites was taken. And he brought near the clan of the Syrahites, man by man, and Savdi was taken. And he brought near his household, man by man, and Achan, the son of Carmi, son of Savdi, son of Sera, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

Then Joshua said to Achan, My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and give praise to Him, and tell me now what ye have done. Do not hide it from me. And Achan answered Joshua, Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did. When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath.'

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and behold, he was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua, to all the people of Israel, and they laid them down before the Lord. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan, and the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the cloak, and the barth of gold, and his sons and daughters, and his oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, and his tent, and all that he had. And they brought them up to the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, verse 25, Why did you bring trouble on us?

The Lord brings trouble on you today, and all Israel stone Him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones, and they raised over Him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from His burning anger Therefore, to this day, the name of that place is called the Valley of Acre." Brothers and sisters, we don't have Gentiles here. We don't have people that are not called the people of God.

But rather, we have Israel here and all of Israel is said here in the Scripture that they executed this judgment against unrighteousness that was found in the midst of them. Now, you may say, yes, this took place under the Old Testament. This took place under the Mosaic dispensation or the Mosaic covenant. And you are very right, because this is a type of sins that that deserve the curse of the law and therefore be cast off the covenant people and removed. But also this is a shadow of the discipline of God upon his people.

He was indeed He was careful or he really wanted the people to be holy. That was the interest and the intention of the Lord. That was not only something that took place, brothers and sisters, in the context of the Old Covenant. But this is also something that takes place in the New Testament. Come with me to Galatians chapter two, because in Galatians chapter two, we have the Apostle Paul.

bringing the same person that now is saying that judgment begins at the household of God, namely Peter, and he's going to expose something publicly. This is Galatians chapter two. In verse 11, you might remember that Peter came to visit Paul, and then when he was with the Gentiles, he was eating with them. But when some of the Israelites came to be with him, then he was afraid. This is what the Apostle Paul says in Galatians Chapter 2.

Pay attention from verse 12. It says, He's speaking now, narrating here what took place in chapter 2, verse 12. For before certain men came from James, that's from Jerusalem, he was eating, that is Peter, Peter was eating with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, that is, with Peter, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

But when I, Paul, saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, this is what he did. I said to Cephas, that is, Peter, before them all, that is, publicly, If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile, and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?" He was bringing an accusation. He was bringing a charge against Peter. He was saying, you are behaving in a way that goes contrary to the truth of the gospel, to the point that if you go back to the text and then you read verse 11, In the beginning of this story, he's going to use very important words.

He says in verse 11, chapter 2, verse 11, in the beginning of this story. But when Cephas, that is Peter, but when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. He stood condemned. And then he narrates, Paul narrates why he stood condemned when Paul, well, as he says here, opposed him to his faith. He stood condemned.

Now we know. Yes, the apostle Peter was insane. He was taking these Gentiles and treating them not in love to the point that when he was influenced by these Jews that were coming, he would feel pressure to please these men, to please these people rather than pleasing Christ by manifesting love to both Gentiles and Jews, so that Paul stood him face to face and he was condemned. Now, of course, we know that this is not eternal condemnation, that this is simply a way of speaking that he was confronted with something that he was doing wrong. A judgment was executed in a sense.

Peter had not conformed to the standard of righteousness. So it was needed of another apostle, the apostle Paul, to bring to his attention that he was not walking in righteousness and that it was necessary for him to be aware of those things. But you may think and say, well, you know, this is the apostle Paul and this is his authority. And this you cannot compare. this thing that happened to Peter, which is just a public charge with what took place with Achan in Joshua chapter 7.

Well, let me take you to 1 Corinthians chapter 5. And then you will see here not only words that speak of the judgment of God upon the household of God, but you will see also another very important detail of this concept of judgment or deciding or separating or distinguishing between that which is righteous and that which is unrighteous based on the standard of the righteous word of God. Here, brothers and sisters, I said to you that the reason why I'm doing all of this is to show you that the judgments of God that begin with the household of God actually and most of the time initiate from within the church. and the Lord uses the church and the people within the church to execute this judgment onto discipline. This is what we see here in 1 Corinthians chapter 5.

We have a serious case of sin, not in the club next door, not in the community center next door, not in this group of people who are not Christians, but we have a case of serious sin within the context of the church, the household of God. 1 Corinthians 5 verse 1, it says, It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans. For a man has his father's wife, and you are arrogant. O you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

Now, before you think that the apostle is upset only because of the sin, let me just put here that he's also upset and perhaps even more upset with the fact that the church was not dealing with the sin, that they were tolerating the sin from the context of the church. So that is, if we're going to put it in terms of Joshua chapter 7, it's like Joshua saying, you know, it's all good. I don't want to do anything about Achan or his family. They are so nice. And plus, they're bringing lots of money to the camp that we should not do anything against them.

This is the same type of thing that was taking place in the church with the Corinthians. Verse 3. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit. And if present in spirit, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. when you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus, and my spirit is present with the power of our Lord Jesus."

Verse 5, pay attention. You, this is all of you people in the church, verse 5, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. You're boasting, it's not good. Now pay attention. The church was supposed to deliver these men to Satan so that his flesh may be destroyed.

This is a spiritual way of saying to remove and to take that person from within the context of the people of God and to send that person outside of the context, outside of the camp. That person has been removed from the covenant community of the church. Your boasting is not good, the apostle says in verse 6. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lamb? Cleanse out the old leaven, that you may be a new lamb, as you really are unleavened.

For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. Now, you may say at this point, OK, this is only for people that commit sexual immorality. Continue reading, please.

Verse 10. Not at all. Meaning the sexually immoral of this world or the greedy and and swindlers or idolatrous. Since then, you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard or swindler, not even to eat with such one.

For what I have to do with judging outsiders It is not those inside the church whom you are to judge. God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you, brothers and sisters. It is not only for the sexual immoral, but then the apostle adds other types or list of sins to this. And not only that, but it is not only the apostle who has the authority to execute or to pronounce these divine judgments in the church, but also the apostle calls those within the church to judge those who are in the church.

Now, I hope that you don't feel uncomfortable with the words, because what I mean is not fire coming from heaven against her brothers or hypocritical judgment. What I'm talking about here is deciding, separating, distinguishing between righteousness and unrighteousness according to a righteous standard. And that is the standard of the Word of God. In other words, not to judge according to external appearances, but just as the Lord Jesus Christ says, to judge with righteousness or a right, upright, righteous judgment. So this is the importance of the elders.

within the context of the church. This is the importance, this is the vital importance, not of the label elder within the context of the church, but elders according to God's heart within the context of the church. Because when the church comes to decide upon a matter, if that decision is made in alignment with the will of God, Then is the divine decision of God upon that particular church removing unrighteousness. Now, brothers and sisters, this is vital for you to understand. Yes, God is completing the work in us.

The faithful Lord who has saved us is completing the work that He started in us. producing in us not only the fruits of the Spirit, according to Galatians 5, but also producing fruits of righteousness of Jesus Christ, according to Philippians 1. And the way that God sanctifies us is twofold, at least according to my understanding. The first and primary way, it is by empowering us with the Holy Spirit to walk in the ways of the Lord. By making us like the Lord Jesus Christ, pointing us to the righteousness of Christ, empowering us to obey, that is directing us to righteousness.

But also, He does it from removing us from unrighteousness through discipline, because the one whom He loves, He disciplines. So He does not only empower us through the Holy Spirit to do that which is righteous. But when we are doing the thing that is unrighteous, the discipline of the Lord, or in other words, the judgment of God through the context of the church that come upon us, it is a loving action of God removing us and changing our direction from unrighteousness into righteousness so that we may complete the purpose for which we were chosen before the foundation of the world. to be holy and blameless, not only individually, but also covenantally as a church. Therefore, the Apostle, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, will say, So I, Peter, the Apostle Peter, exhort you, elders among you, which is the portion of Scripture that now we have, if you understand the context now.

He's going to give now this exhortation, brothers and sisters, By the way, that the apostle is going to give this exhortation is primarily, firstly, by stating the authority of the apostle Peter. He says, I, Peter, who am an apostle, and he adds to that that he has been a witness of the sufferings of Christ. That is, that none like him was in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and being one of the 12, he witnessed the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ. But the apostle does not only state his apostolic authority. He's going to do something very important here.

And then he's going to recognize that he is not only an apostle, but also that he's a fellow elder. He says, I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder, as a fellow elder. So this Peter, who is an apostle, he's also a fellow elder, and he adds that he's also a partaker of the glory that is going to be revealed. This is the authority of the exhortation that he's bringing to these elders. Now, brothers and sisters, what I'm trying to say to you here, it is that for us to understand the judgment of God, beginning with the household of God, with the role of the elder within the context of the church is of vital importance.

Because just as in the Old Testament, when the judgment of God came upon the people of Israel, there will become many, many false prophets that will prophesy according to their own hearts. When the Lord wanted to bring the people of Israel back into the path of righteousness, He will send prophets that will come and speak to the people of Israel of the righteous way of God. And through the mouth of Jeremiah is that it is this cry from the heart of God that he wanted for the people of Israel to have pastors according to his own heart, pastoring the people of Israel in understanding and in wisdom. Now, this pastoring, this leading of the elders, of the church is to be done according to the righteous standard of the Word of God. We know very well this very famous verse that speaks of the work and the sufficiency of the Word of God.

Come with me, please, to 2nd Timothy to see this. And I want to point to something very interesting in that section of the Scripture that sometimes we do not see. Go to 2nd Timothy, chapter 3, verse 16. And there we have the very famous verse that speaks of the sufficiency of Scripture and all this. teachings and words given by inspiration of God has been the means by which we grow in completion or imperfection in righteousness.

So in 2nd Timothy, chapter 3, verse 16 and 17, it says, Holy Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness. Now, brothers and sisters, when it says for reproof and for a correction, That is not something that is actually nice on the person that is being reproved or rebuked and corrected. This is actually an action of discipline upon that people, telling that person or those people, you are in need of being corrected and in need of being reproved. The Word of God has been breathed out of God, given by inspiration of God, so that we may grow in that, in reproof, in correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." But now, pay attention to what happens in chapter 4, and pay attention to what the Apostle says, continuing with that thought.

Chapter 4, verse 1, it says, I charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead and by His appearing and His kingdom, preach the word. The Word that he has just said that it is everything that is needed for the saints to grow in correction, reproof, training and righteousness. He says, preach the Word, be ready in season and out of season. And now what is to be ready in preaching the Word? Reproof, rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching.

Why? The question is asked, and Scripture answers. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having each in ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. Brothers and sisters, There's nothing more loving that the disciplinary judgment of God upon a saint, trying to bring that saint into the righteousness path than a false teacher telling you, peace, peace, when there is no peace, telling you that everything is going to be fine, that you are a good person, that you just need this little Jesus every Sunday and then you will be fine. People will accumulate for themselves false teachers that will speak things onto their ears, things that they want to hear.

But the scary thing about this is verse four, it says, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. That means that they were listening to the truth. to turn away from something, to take a different direction from something, you need to be in that something in the first place. So these people who are accumulating unto themselves teachers to suit their own passions, they were people that were listening to the truth. And because of their passions and because their unrighteousness and because there was no preacher that will tell them the judgments of God upon seeing Then, slowly, they moved and turned into their own passions, and what they did is they accumulated teachers that will tell them the things that they wanted to hear.

And with the things that a person says do not come from the mouth of God, they come from the flesh. And in other words, when a person speaks things that do not come from the mouth of God, they come from Satan. There is no categories. It is simply of God, or it is simply of the devil. There is no in between.

It is of God. sanctification and holiness or is of Satan is of the devil. And that which is of Satan of the devil is pleasing to our sinful flesh. That's why the necessity of the word of God in our submission to the word of God. Verse five, it says, As for you, Always, this is to Timothy, as for you, always be sober-minded in dear suffering.

Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry. Brothers and sisters, the work and the duty of an elder is not to prepare simply a sermon every Sunday or a Bible study. It is something that it is life and death and life and death, not only for the one that is from the pulpit proclaiming that he is speaking from the Lord, but it's life and death from those who are hearing. That's what Paul says to Timothy also in first Timothy in chapter four or five.

that you are to endure in sound doctrine to save your soul and to save the souls of those who hear. Why? Not by telling them these little nice things about your life is going to get better and you're going to be a better person, but rather just proclaiming the righteous standard of God. This is what we owe to understand, brothers and sisters. And this is not the responsibility of the elders only.

This is the responsibility of the church. I don't know if I'm going to have sufficient time to address the rest, but let's just try to do it. Go back to your text, please. I want you to see, brothers and sisters, now in light of all of these things that I have said, the heart of the Spirit of God, by connecting all of this letter that speaks of suffering and trials and tribulation to the topic of elders. How come are you going to connect suffering and unrighteousness and sin with the topic of elders?

And people, when they take this passage, they apply it outside of the context of what the puzzle and the intention of the puzzle is. The intention of the Apostle, by teaching us about the elders, is saying that the elders among the people are the ones who minister the Word of God. And by ministering the Word of God, people grow in conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, they move from their natural and righteous state to the state of righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the way that the Apostle presented it here, the Spirit of God presented it in a glorious way because the exhortation given to the elders is simply this.

It says, shepherd the flock of God that is among you. Shepherd, verse 2, the flock of God that is among you. Now, I'm not going to be able to cover all of the things that I wanted to say, but let me just simply go as short as possible. First of all, brothers and sisters, there is not such a thing as a distinction between elder and a pastor and a shepherd and an overseer and a bishop and these being different offices of the church. Here we have a clear portion of Scripture in which an elder is given the instruction to shepherd, or in other words, to pastor.

And the way that this pastoring or this shepherding is done is by exercising oversight. This is because the pastor is the elder, and the elder is the overseer, and this is a single office. But I want you to see the heart of Peter because these are glorious words. Shepherd the flock. If you have another Bible, it says, feed the flock of God, which is exactly the same word that the Lord Jesus Christ answered and gave to Peter when he was asked, Do you love me?

Yes, Lord, I love you. Then feed my lambs. Feed my sheep. The Lord was putting these words and this teaching, not only in the mind, but in the heart of Peter. And Peter was now transferring that onto the elders and saying, if you are going to look after these people, you are to shepherd these people.

You are to feed these people. But I want you to pay attention to the people of God, it is the flock of God. This is not the flock of men. This is not the flock of a pastor. This is not the flock of a shepherd.

People are not to be followers of men. People are not to be followers of the star that is behind the pulpit. People are to be followers of God because He gave His life for you. I don't think that I would be able not even to decide to give my life for you. He gave His life for you.

You are to follow Him, never man, because you are the people of God. You are not the people of men. And in that sense, we are to shepherd the people of God. Now, brothers and sisters, this is very important. I want you to see it.

It is given twice. among you. It says, so I exhort the elders among you in verse 1 and then in verse 2 it says, shepherd the flock of God that is among you. Do not jump or pass over that. Your elder cannot be the star that is online.

Your pastor cannot be the person that is on YouTube. Your pastor, your shepherd, your overseer, the one who loves your soul cannot be the one that lives on the other side of the world. Your pastor, your shepherd, your elder is the one that is among you. Because shepherding the flock is much more than coming and preaching a sermon every Sunday. It requires knowing and loving your soul, just as Peter received from the Lord.

If you love me, feed my lambs, feed my people. That is the heart of the biblical elder. He's not a heart that only wants to present something so that people will say how good of a preacher I am, but rather is to have the heart connected with the people of God. And in order to do so, the heart of men has to be taken, and the heart of Christ has to be in that place. That was the role of the king in the Old Testament.

Remember in our Bible studies in Deuteronomy chapter 17? The king, the authority of the people of Israel, was not the one authoritative and the one that is good looking and is powerful and mighty. And all of us, we have to serve him. The king was the one that meditated constantly and read through the law of God, abided in the law of God and was a servant to the people. That picture of the preacher or the elder or the pastor being the unreachable, unapproachable, a different status type of Christian, it is completely man-made.

This is not the teaching of the Bible. All of us, we are one in the Lord Jesus Christ, and there is no distinction among us. We have different roles and we have different functions as members, but there is no distinction of value because we are all the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the among youness is necessary. for the workings of the elders and the life of those.

And also, brothers and sisters, notice please that here we don't have any type of distinction between the elders, the elders who are among you. All of these concepts that you have in the Western world of senior pastor or associate pastor and whatever pastor, this is not in the Bible. This is all elders among you, given their lives for you. And then he says, exercise oversight. You remember in 1st Timothy, chapter two, when Paul is giving instructions to Timothy about women not teaching in the church, remember?

I do not want women to teach or exercise authority over men. Why? Teaching is connected with the exercising of authority, the proclamation of the word. It is a way to exercise authority over the people, not the authority of the men who preaches, but the authority of who has given the word, namely the Lord Jesus Christ. And the overseeing of the souls of those who are among the church is to be done in light and in the power of the word.

of God. It is the oversight through the authority of the Word of God. So he's going to give us three classes, brothers and sisters. This is very important. He is going to address the heart, the mind, and the deeds of those who are preaching and bringing the Word of God.

He says, first of all, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you. that it is that in the heart of the person there is not an obligation to come here, there is not a burden in the flesh, but rather the heart of that person has been captured by Jesus Christ, and what abides in the heart of that person is the will to do that which Christ says. Feed my lambs, protect my people, because no, they are not yours. They are mine. So your heart has to be taken.

Your mind has to be taken and captured by Christ. Your heart is not to be yours anymore, but it's to be God's heart. So the duty of the person instructing and teaching is to direct his ways as it is for every Christian. direct his ways to the ways of the Lord, so that we can say that it is not my heart anymore, but is the heart of Christ. And the words that are proclaimed are not my words anymore, but are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the will of God for those who are shepherding the flock, not for shameful gain, he says, but eagerly, that is not looking any temporal, gain, not something that is shameful, but rather with a mind, with a heart that is utterly willing, utterly ready, the Greek speaks there, the mind of the person is willing to come and do it, not for a temporal gain, not for money, not for reputation, not for the empty worship of people, but rather with a heart that by the transforming power of Christ is ready to serve through the ministry of the word, others. And the last one that he gives, brothers and sisters, not domineering over those in charge of you, but being examples to the flock. that the authority of the man, it is not so much in how good he speaks and how loud he is, but rather in his life. When people saw the Lord Jesus Christ, they said he teaches like someone who has authority. But when the Pharisees were speaking, the Lord Jesus Christ said, do what they say, but don't do what they do because they don't practice the things that they preach.

the preacher, the elder, the overseer, the bishop. It is to have been taken first by the beauty, the splendor of Christ, so that the words that come from his mouth, not only when he preaches, but even in conversations, will have the authority, the grace and the love and the power of the heart of the person of Jesus Christ. So that the mind of that preacher of that elder will be set not on temporal things, but on things that are set a path, eternal things. You think that this is easy to do these things? It's not easy.

But when the mind of the person is captured by the beauty of Christ, then we know as there is forces. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfailing crown of glory. Not that preachers or elders or pastors will be something greater than the rest, because in James chapter 2 it speaks of everyone, that those who endure trials will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him, for all Christians. But rather, when He comes, Lord, this is your people. You are the chief shepherd.

Take your people unto your presence. And Lord, Take this servant, unfaithful servant into your presence with the fear and with the trembling that James says, not many among you make yourself teachers because there will be a stricter judgment upon you, a stricter judgment upon you, brothers and sisters. We live in times in which church and Christianity has become a game that people play every Sunday, a tradition of culture that is performed externally every Sunday, that Christianity is something, an appendix to our lives that we simply do, and we are more worldly than Christians, that we are more in the world, that we are in Christ. And that happens because there's no watchmen, and there's no proclaimers of the righteousness of God, and the righteous judgments of God upon the world, upon the people. That when we see Christ, we might be taken captive by His beauty, and by His mercies, and by His glory, and by the gospel.

But also that when we see Christ, we might see Him as the King who is enthroned, and who is reigning, and who is establishing His kingdom. and that reverential fear might come through our bodies, so that we may walk in the righteous path of Jesus Christ. Not because by doing good works we can obtain something of heaven, but by doing good works we can proclaim publicly that we love him, because if you love him, you keep my commandments. Amen.