Standing Firm audio
We come today to the last in our series on 1 Peter. So let’s start by thinking about what the major themes have been? The overriding theme has been the sure and certain hope of eternal life; important because that will help them to persevere in the face of a world that’s opposed to God, opposed to the gospel. So Peter finishes his letter where he began, with this reminder: "And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you." (1 Pet 5:10 NRSV)
Another recurring theme throughout the letter has been the need for self-discipline, the need to be self-controlled and alert because that’s the only way we’ll be able to resist the devil’s attacks. He repeats those warnings in what we’ll come to in a moment.
Finally, there’s been the theme of how to live faithful lives to demonstrate the change that Christ makes in us; and that’s how Peter finishes his letter, focusing on our life together as a church. So in our passage today he points out what makes a good elder, a good leader, that is, and what makes a good congregational member. Then he finishes with a further reminder to persevere in our life with God.
What makes a Good Leader?
Peter knows that the health of a church will depend on its leadership, so he addresses those who are leaders in the church. But before we look at what he has to say I’d like us to first think about who are the leaders in our church? Obviously in our Anglican context we have the Archbishop and regional Bishops, and our Archdeacon but they don’t really impact on our life from day to day, do they, apart form in some macro sense? But what about locally? Well, there’s the Vicar and the Churchwardens and the Parish Council. They’re certainly the leaders of the congregation. But I’d like to suggest there are a whole range of others who act as leaders in various roles. We have people who lead services, lead prayers, lead music, look after morning tea, flower arranging, maintenance, help to lead at playgroup, and so forth; all people who take on responsibility for the life of the church. If you’re one of those people Kim has asked to do their child-safe training it’s because you’re seen as a leader in some part of our ministry. So as we read these verses it’s important that we have a broad view of what God is telling us through them.
So what sort of person does God expect a leader in his church to be? What sort of person do you look for in a leader? A person of wisdom? Someone who shows the fruit of the spirit in their life? Perhaps you look for someone whose ideas fit with yours? Perhaps you’d want a leader who is up to date with the latest ideas, or who understands the ins and outs of our social and cultural context. All those might be useful to certain degrees – but what is it that God is looking for?
In the NIV translation he begins by referring to them as fellow elders and I think that’s important. You see their leadership of the church first and foremost is a shared responsibility. There’s no concept in the New Testament of the church being ruled over by a single leader. Those who are appointed as leaders in the church are always joint leaders, sharing the responsibility for the life of the church among themselves. One of the common characteristics of churches that become cults or cult-like is that they have a single leader who is given full authority and power over the congregation. But that’s not how it should be. Those who are our leaders, the vicar, the churchwardens and parish council members, along with all the rest, are joint leaders, sharing responsibility for the life of the church.
He talks about them tending the flock of God. He’s using the metaphor that Jesus used, of a shepherd. Why? Because a shepherd is the one whose job it is to look after the sheep. When a wild animal comes along intending to attack them, it’s the shepherd’s job to drive it off. If they get sick, it’s the shepherd’s job to care for them and make them well again. He has to see that they’re sheared in spring, that their lambs are born safely, and so on. But of course you can have good and bad shepherds can’t you? In fact the Bible gives us models of both good and bad shepherds. The leaders of Israel were referred to as the shepherds of the nation, but in the end they turned out to be bad shepherds. In Ezekiel God says he’s going to get rid of these false shepherd and he himself will be take over shepherding his sheep, an idea that Jesus takes up when he says “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me -- 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father -- and I lay down my life for the sheep.” So Jesus is our model. If we’re to be the sort of leader that God wants we need to be willing to follow Jesus’ example, to care for those we lead even at the loss of our own lives, even at the expense of our own preferences. We need to be willing to forgo our own rights and desires to serve those under our care.
Thirdly, being a good leader means serving willingly, not just because you have to, or because there was no-one else to do it, so you got roped in. We sometimes feel like that, don’t we? No-one else volunteered and it was a job that had to be done so we said, “Oh all right, if no-one else will do it I’ll have a go!” But then we feel resentment at having to do this onerous task. We might even grumble and complain and wish that someone else would lend a hand, forgetting that we were the ones who said OK. No, God wants leaders who work willingly, simply because God has given them a task to do and the gifts to do it, people who are eager to serve, eager to be used by God to build up and enrich the church.
>But notice, it’s only the church that they should be eager to enrich. Peter’s next criterion is that they not be greedy for money. They’re not to be in it for personal gain. Now obviously you’re not normally going to find someone standing for parish council or taking on the organisation of some event because they’re eager for gain. The hourly rate isn’t that good! But there are some people who do it to gain power or influence and that’s equally to be guarded against. It’s one of the things vicars are often warned about when they go into a new Parish: “Watch out for the gatekeepers”. No, the only gain we should be hoping for is that God’s kingdom would be enriched by our contributions to it.
Finally good leaders should be an example to the flock. They shouldn’t lord it over those entrusted to them, but should lead by example. In the New Testament context, a shepherd walked out in front of the sheep and the sheep followed along behind so I guess that’s what Peter has in mind here. True shepherds show by their lives how the flock is to live. They give direction by going on ahead, paving the way, showing how it can be done, providing models of Christlikeness for people to copy, rather than by imposing their wills on the congregation, or making rules that people have to follow if they want to be in their church.
What makes a good congregational member?
So, if that’s what makes a good leader, a good elder, what is it that makes a good congregational member? Well, what does Peter say? In v5 he says, “You who are younger must accept the authority of the elders.” Here those who are younger simply means the other members of the congregation. So here’s the first thing that makes a good congregational member: being willing to follow those that God has put over us in the church. If you have the sorts of leaders that we’ve talked about, leaders who work cooperatively, who willingly lead by example rather than by lording it over us, then it’s a lot easier, isn’t it? If you’ve ever worked under someone like that then you’ll know that it’s a joy to follow their lead. You never feel like it’s an imposition, or like they’re manipulating you or using you. Instead you feel like you’re contributing to something valuable; that you’re valued.
Next, if we’re to show humility to those who are over us, we’re equally to show humility to one another: “all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another.” We saw a few weeks ago the value of mutual submission in terms of recommending the gospel to others. An attitude of humility is such a rare thing today that people will notice it. But more than that, if we’re to work together as a church it’s vital that we show humility, simply because God has given us all different gifts. Nothing will wreck a church faster than some people thinking their gifts are superior to others, or, just as bad, that their gifts are inferior to others.
Thirdly, we’re to humble ourselves, he says, under God’s mighty hand (v6). That is, we’re to let God work on us. Perhaps he has in mind the picture of the potter, who takes a piece of clay and moulds it into the shape he wants. So we’re to submit ourselves to God’s Spirit as he seeks to transform us into the likeness of Christ.
But of course if we’ve humbled ourselves under God’s mighty hand that should also give us confidence shouldn’t it? Not only does God shape us with his hands but he also protects us with them. And so we can cast all our anxiety on him, knowing that he cares for us, that he’ll lift us up in due time.
Are you ever anxious. Do you get worried about things. My guess is that everyone would say yes to that. It’s normal human experience to feel anxiety from time to time. You may be worried about something at this very minute. It may be something that you just can’t get out of your mind. If it’s bad enough you’re probably losing sleep over it. That’s what happens to me. I lie in bed trying to find a comfortable position so I’ll drift off to sleep, but my mind won’t let me. I keep going over in my mind all the possibilities, or what I might say if such and such happens, or who I might turn to. And then I have to tell myself what Peter says here: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” You see if God cared for you enough to send his Son to die so you could be made acceptable to God, then how much more is he going to take care of your everyday concerns? How much more is he going to look after you, to comfort you in the hard times, to provide a way forward that helps you to grow more like him?
Why persevere?
So he finishes by saying be self-controlled and alert. Here we come back to the theme of living faithful lives in the face of opposition. And he identifies the source of that opposition. “Your enemy the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour” (v8). Whatever opposition you encounter because of being a Christian, it comes about because the devil wants to stop you. He probably won’t send you physical suffering but he will try things to undermine your trust in God. He wants to convince you that God’s word is out of date; irrelevant to our modern world. He wants to get you to fail, or to get so worried that you can’t go on. But we’re to resist. We’re to persevere. Why? Because we’re not alone. Christians all around the world are faced with the same question of whether to trust God’s promises. In fact in some places they’re suffering for their faith in Christ in the same ways these first readers of Peter’s letter were.
Secondly, he says, because we know that God will vindicate us in the end. He says, after we’ve suffered a little while God will restore us and make us strong, firm, and steadfast. He said the same thing earlier to leaders: “When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” There is a hope for us in the future, when Christ returns. God will restore us. That is, he’ll restore us to the state that people were in before the fall. We’ll be made perfect in God’s sight. And of course that includes a new body doesn’t it? No more aches and pains; no more suffering and death, no more failure to obey God’s law. Rather we’ll be strong in our faith, set on a firm foundation, just as the church is built on the foundation of Christ, our cornerstone (1 Pet 2:6). We’ll have our feet planted on solid ground so we can serve God faithfully and grow in our love for him.
So what do we learn from this passage from 1 Peter about how to live as a church in the last days? First of all, to be careful that the people we choose as our leaders have the necessary characteristics for leading God’s church: good shepherds who willingly lead the flock, not for gain, or for the power it gives them, but by example. Secondly to be sure that we have an attitude of humility towards both our leaders and one another as together we seek to grow into the temple of God. And thirdly that we’re always aware of God’s hand, moulding us and caring for us, keeping us safe, so we can persevere and in the end be made perfect in Jesus Christ. To whom be power for ever and ever. Amen.
