See the verses below.......
1 Peter 5:1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:
1 Peter 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
1 Peter 5:3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
1 Peter 5:4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
The first thing Peter does is to exhort, or to encourage the elders among the people. Exhort means to comfort, and to comfort and to admonish, to entreat, to strengthen, and to instruct. All of those things Peter is going to do as he shares now in the next few verses.
There were three things that Peter said about himself. He saw himself as a fellow elder. Even though he was an apostle, he nonetheless demonstrates his humility in calling himself a fellow elder. ( There was a time earlier in his life where he had thought of himself as being better then others, and above them in his character and such.....just prior to his denying the Lord )
But, Peter had been humbled and had learned his lesson. He was no better then anyone else.
Secondly, Peter says he had witnessed the sufferings of Christ. He was in fact an eye-witness of those sufferings. He saw them first hand. It no doubt had a profound effect upon him.
Thirdly, he mentions the glory or the hope we have in Christ. It's been a favorite theme of his throughout his letter to talk about the future, the revelation of Jesus Christ, and the grace that would be brought to us at that time. So, here once again he reminds them of the future, our future and his.
Fourthly, and here is where he begins his exhortations, "shepherd the flock of God which is among you, etc, ".......To shepherd means to feed, rule, to tend, to govern, to provide food for, and to nourish, and to supply all that's needed. That in a word is the role of elders/pastor's/servants/leaders etc, in the body of Christ. It's all of those things. That's what we are tasked to do by Jesus Christ.
Fifthly, and finally for today, we notice, that it's "the flock of God", that is, the sheep, the church, the body of Christ, are God's. They belong to Him, not us. We did not purchase them, God did that. We have merely been called to care for them. But, they are His. And, as such, God calls those whom He has placed in ministry to take good care of His own sheep.
Peter will go on with more to day, and we will look at that in the days ahead. Blessings to you.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
Application/Promise
1. What a blessing to be encouraged, isn't it?
2. God cares more for us then we know.
3. His desire is to minister to us.
4. He wants to take good care of His sheep.
5. You actually belong to God.
6. And as such, He will shepherd your life.
7. Suffering is followed by glory.
8. We follow Jesus in both of the above.
