1 Peter 5:1-4 The Fiery Trials , Therefore Shepherds

Podcast: Download (28.4MB)

The Fiery Trial, Therefore Shepherds…

1 Peter 5:1-4

Introduction: Please begin the study of this text by asking yourself why Peter is suddenly talking about shepherds in a church? If we were reading this letter without chapter divisions the answer would not be difficult. 

5:1 begins with “so” in the ESV or “Therefore” in the NASB & ASV. Peter is intentionally connecting his discussion about the coming “fiery trials” and the need for elders who are diligent in doing their job as shepherds of the flock. These shepherds will be critically important in keeping the Christians who are under their oversight strong in their service to the Lord. 

1. Initial Observations
   1. Before we delve deeper into the message, consider a few of the key words and phrases that should get our attention.
   2. The basis for Peter’s exhortation to elders is threefold:
      1. First, he is a fellow elder. Peter has experienced the work of shepherding a flock first hand. He was even urged by Jesus three times to “feed my flock.” Based on 1 Peter 1:6-7, we know that trials can make a person a strong shepherd. Jesus used Peter’s failure.
      2. Second, he was a witness of the sufferings of Christ. Of course, we know of how he witnessed what Jesus endured and how he wept bitterly after initially failing the test. His experience in turning back to Jesus clearly emboldened him to never again fail such a trial.
      3. Third, he is a “partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed.” There is only one way Peter could confidently say that and it is based on what he just wrote in 4:13-14. Peter’s has been enduring suffering and was therefore confident of future glory.
   3. The fact that Peter is talking directly to elders in the midst of trials and in preparation for future trials indicates the strength these men need to have to stand strong and lead the church in the midst of persecution. I have known good men who were elders, but who caved under the pressure of trials the church was enduring. Those are the occasions in which shepherds are most needed. 
   4. Notice also the phrase, “shepherd the flock of God among you.” There are strong applications that come out of this phrase that have been seriously violated among churches today.
      1. Elders only oversee the local church. They only shepherd the local church. In Acts 14:23, Paul “appointed elders (plural) in every church (singular). Therefore, 
         1. They have no authority to “hatch” new churches all over town and then oversee those churches as well. 
         2. They have no authority decide to do an evangelistic work beyond the means of the local church and then advertise to other churches to send them money so they can oversee the use of the money of other churches.
         3. They have no authority to “sponsor” a preacher or group of preachers and ask other churches to send them the money to help in that effort. 
         4. They have no authority to “sponsor” a benevolence effort that cost more than what they can afford and ask other churches to send them money that they will oversee in that effort.
      2. The above violations first originated by 150 AD which led chief “bishops” overseeing numerous churches at once and eventually a pope in order to regulate doctrines through all the churches.
      3. There is an implied requirement that “the flock” puts themselves under the oversight of the shepherds. One must desire to be in the flock and be recognized as part of the flock willing and desirous of the shepherds to watch out for their souls! Too many Christians think it is acceptable to be “Christians at large” without any accountability to anyone.
2. Peter’s Exhortation to Elders
   1. Notice first that the word “shepherd” is in the verb form. Therefore, the way they exercise oversight is by “shepherding.” Ezekiel 34:11-18 and Psalm 23 are always the go-to texts to define what shepherds are to do. Notice the Ezekiel text which present what the “Chief Shepherd” will do:
      1. “Search for the sheep and seek them out.”
      2. “Rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered.”
      3. “Bring them out” from dangerous places.
      4. “Feed them with good pasture.”
      5. Cause them to “lie down.”
      6. “I myself will be the shepherd” – they get personally involved.
      7. “Bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.”
      8. “Judge between sheep and sheep, and between rams and male goats.”
   2. You can see that shepherds are fixated on the welfare of the sheep. This highlights one of the major errors that continue to be made when seeking elders in a church. Our default method is to simply go to the qualifications in 1 Timothy and Titus. But these texts primarily are looking at character, and speaking very little of the actual work they are to do that is based on their descriptions of elder, overseer, and shepherd. Before we think about character, we need to ask, “Can this person do the job?” 
   3. Now look carefully at verse 2: “shepherd the flock… exercising oversight…” These words shout a need that the flock has; a need that every Christian has. 
      1. There is a tendency for us to lose track of where we are in our lives. The Hebrew writer said it well: “Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Heb. 2:1). We tend to drift. Pleasures and things of the world catch our eye, and soon serving the Lord is just church and our primary friends aren’t even Christians. At that point, we are trouble.
      2. This calls for watchfulness by shepherds.
      3. Please be aware that though this is a primary responsibility of the shepherds, Peter has not left this entirely on their shoulders (Cf. 1:22; 4:8-11; Heb. 3:12-13).
   4. Now Peter gives three “not/but” commands with contrastive qualifiers to instruct shepherds in how they are to exercise their oversight.
      1. “Not under compulsion, but willingly” – the idea is, it is something he loves and he is good at it. Shepherding isn’t uncomfortable for him; something he has to force himself to do.
      2. “Not for shameful gain, but eagerly” – It was not uncommon for first century elders to be supported by the church. Whether in preaching or in being a shepherd, when pay is involved there is always the concern that someone will do the work just because there is the “opportunity to make money” instead of the love and desire to do the work.
      3. “Not domineering…but being examples” – Again, this is another exhortation that has often been violated today. 
         1. Jesus said it this way: Mt. 20:25-27 “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Bill Geren has often said, “I worry about a man who wants to be an elder too badly.”
         2. I have known far too many elders who feel like they shouldn’t be questioned because, “We are the elders!” Or, believe they can make decisions that significantly affect the church without any discussion with the church. 
         3. Notice the contrast to “domineering” is being an example, that is, a role model. A good leader does not command people to follow, he steps into the trenches first, which gives people confidence to follow.
   5. We have to be reminded that this is very similar to the relationship between a husband and wife, which is why Paul brings this up in the qualifications. Yes, wives are to be submissive, just as we are to be submissive to our shepherds. But husbands do not “rule” in the earthly sense of the word any more than elders do. If we can understand how a man ought to treat his wife, we can understand how a shepherd is to exercise oversight. When a man has to demand his wife obey him, there is a problem in how he is handling his leadership. And the same is true if a shepherd must demand obedience from a flock. While there certainly are exceptions, something is usually wrong with shepherding when sheep do not follow.
   6. The same his true with his children. Does he shepherd his family, or is it simply “whatever Dad says goes, and that’s that.” In other words, it should be easy to appeal to Dad or husband and know he is willing to listen and change his mind.

Conclusion: The primary significance of Peter’s detailed exhortation at the end of his letter is that the present elders in these churches need to be the kind of shepherds that reflect the Chief Shepherd before the fiery trials come so that the church has developed the utmost confidence in them. By being good shepherds, they assure themselves of receiving an unfading crown of glory. 

Berry Kercheville