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Proverbs 8:13-24
13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the
perverse mouth I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength.
15 By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles, All the
judges of the earth.
17 I love those who love me, And those who seek
me diligently will find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me, Enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, And my revenue than
choice silver.
20 I traverse the way of righteousness, In the
midst of the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit
wealth, That I may fill their treasuries.
22 "The LORD possessed me at the beginning
of His way, Before His works of old.
23 I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there
were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water.
Father God, chasten us so that we can be more humble like
your Son Jesus. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
Book of I Peter 5:1-7
NKJV
Peter
starts this chapter out with a message to the Pastors of his era and also for
our time frame. The pastors, ministers, and priests of today really need to
take this to heart. Many do not preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they preach
what makes people feel good. They don’t tell the people that the lifestyle they
are living will not get them to Heaven based on God’s Word. These ministers are
wolves in sheep’s clothing. If they preached a gut wrenching convicting message
the people would leave because in this age people don’t want to hear that they
are enemies of God. Paul tells us that in his epistles that those that have not
repented and asked Jesus to rule their life are enemies of God. Romans 8:5-8 For those who live according to the flesh set
their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be
carnally minded is death, but
to be spiritually minded is
life and peace. 7
Because the carnal mind is
enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can
be. 8 So
then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. James
4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with
the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the
world makes himself an enemy of God.
Many
ministers of the Gospel probably don’t or haven’t preached on the Book of
Revelation which I feel is a grave thing not to preach on. This book of the
Bible has yet to be fulfilled, but many just think it is a fairytale. I believe
it will happen and signs are being revealed to us on a regular basis now. So
Pastors, feed the flock!
The
last part of this lesson is on commands for Christians. Some more of how we are
to act if we call ourselves Christians.
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:
The
elders who are among you I exhort; It
is evident that people were chosen to serve in the churches set up by the
Apostles and those chosen were selected based on age. It is probably why the
term elder is used. We know this is true because in verse five below Peter
addresses the young of the congregation. These elders were probably strong in
their faith of the Cross, but also had many experiences during their life. They
could counsel based on scripture and relate how life and scripture are all
intertwined. Elder can also pertain to being a Pastor; leader of a church. This
is who Peter is addressing here is, leader or pastors of a church since he
doesn’t mention bishop, priests, or deacons. In the primitive Christian church
the elder had the duty to feed the flock over which the Holy Spirit had made
him overseer.
I
who am a fellow elder; Why
does Peter consider himself a fellow elder? He considers himself a fellow elder
because of his love for Jesus and what Jesus did on the Cross for him; he is being
humble. As Christians we are to be humble as Jesus was humble. Peter’s
identification with the elders is a good example of Christian leadership,
showing that authority is based on service, not power. Mark 10:42-45 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know
that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to
become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Peter was taking Jesus advice as he
worked along with the other elders in caring for God's faithful people.
And
a witness of the sufferings of Christ; This phrase is simply stating that Peter was present and
saw with his own eyes the suffering that Jesus suffered in our place, because
Jesus was innocent of all crimes, whereas we are the guilty ones.
And
also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed; This verse gives us some insight as to
Peter’s nature. He identifies himself as an equal to those he is addressing by
stating he is a fellow elder. He doesn’t consider himself of higher rank
because he is looking forward to the glory that will be revealed, meaning the
Second Coming of Jesus. He will be a partaker just like God’s other children.
2 Shepherd
the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion
but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
Shepherd
the flock of God which is among you; Peter
is telling the elders to shepherd the flock, just as Jesus told him to do. John 21:15-17 So when
they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon,
son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He
said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." 16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son
of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You
know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend
My sheep." 17 He said to
him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?"
Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him,
"Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to
him, "Feed My sheep.
Serving as overseers; The definition of overseer is; one who
overlooks; a superintendent; a supervisor. This should be seen as a privilege
to serve God in this capacity, but we all know some pastors, priest, and
ministers that this privilege boost their pride and ego and therefore think
they are better than anyone else. What comes across is that their goal is to
climb the ministry ladder and that takes precedence over shepherding the flock.
Not by compulsion but willingly; What this phrase is alluding to is
that and elder/pastor is to minister to the flock in a willing way. They aren’t
to take on the role so they can boast about who they are; or place themselves
above their Christian brothers and sisters. They should do it out of love for
Christ and love for their Christian brothers and sisters and consider it a
privilege to serve. Here again the two greatest commandments are brought
forward; love God with all you heart, mind, soul, and strength and love thy
neighbor as thy self.
Not for dishonest gain but eagerly; Do you think this is odd that Peter
would warn about this? If someone truly loves God and is serving as an elder/pastor,
why would Peter warn against the love of money? The Bible has many examples of filthy
lucre; battles in the OT not endorsed by God were for the desire of the
booty/land; Judas of Iscariot had a love of money; the rich young man that came
to Jesus had a love of money; Ananias and Sapphira had a love of money.
The
love of money is all around us and present day pastors, elders, and priest fall
victim to the lure of money. There are those on TV that call themselves pastors
that preach a prosperity message along with churches that aren’t on TV. When
you hear about pastors that are asking there congregation for money to buy a
big luxurious car or jet, stop and think about where their love is??? Peter is
telling the elders/pastors their first love is to do the will of God, love of
self takes a seat in the back of the bus.
3 nor as
being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
Nor as being lords over those
entrusted to you; With
this verse the Greek text speaks of a high-handed tyrannical rule over the
flock, which is forbidden of a true Shepherd. The Sheppard is to guide, tend,
and lead the flock by example; example of the Gospel and not of flesh.
But
being examples to the flock; This
is saying to be an example of Jesus Christ; follow the teachings of the Gospel;
suppress the sin nature and lead a holy life. 1 Peter 1:15-16 but as He
who called you is holy, you
also be holy in all your
conduct, 16
because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."
4 and when
the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not
fade away.
And when the Chief Shepherd appears; The Chief Shepherd is of course Jesus
Christ. When will He appear or should I say which appearance is Peter speaking
of here. Peter is addressing Born Again individuals and he also references the
crown of glory. He is talking about the Rapture of the Church. When this
happens Born Again children of God that are alive here on earth will rise up into
the third Heaven through the clouds. When this happens our bodies will be
transformed into a glorified body.
You will receive the crown of glory
that does not fade away; The
Crown of Glory is also referred to as the Victory Crown. Anyone that receives this
crown has endured life’s trials and remained faithful to God. It is a difficult
thing at times, and any Born Again Christian knows what I mean, to go through
the sanctification process while here on earth, is not easy. This Crown of
Glory will last for eternity, and what a reward to fix our eyes on as a goal to
strive for while here on earth.
5 Likewise
you younger people, submit yourselves to your
elders. Yes, all of you be
submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "GOD RESISTS
THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."
With
this verse both young and old can benefit from Peter’s advice.
Likewise you younger people, submit
yourselves to your elders; He starts out hear advising the young
to listen to those who are older and wiser through studying of scripture and
also life itself. Peter is speaking to the younger men of the congregation and
possibly to associate pastors. The young should follow the leadership of older
men and respect them.
Yes,
all of you be submissive to one
another; With this
phrase Peter turns his attention to everyone. As a follower of Jesus we are to
imitate His holy life. Jesus didn’t have the Apostles wash His feet, He washed
the Apostles feet. He was on earth to serve and not to be served.
John 13:5-8 After that, He poured water into a basin and
began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He
came to Simon Peter. And Peter
said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?" 7 Jesus
answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do
not understand now, but you will know after this." 8 Peter said
to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." With this last phrase is Jesus telling
Peter and us that if we aren’t humble and serve others we don’t belong to Jesus
family?
And be clothed with humility, for; All Christians are to display humility
if they claim to be true Christians. The elder need to listen to those younger,
the young listen to the elder, and both be humble enough to admit that they can
learn from others. As Christians we are to serve!
"GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES
GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."; No
matter what the age a person is, pride can rise up within a person and cause
them to do or say unchristian things. Pride is a result of the fall of mankind.
We inherited pride through the sin nature within each of us. It is because this
pride can rise up at any time we must always be vigilant and constantly look to
the Cross of Christ for strength to battle pride.
6 Therefore
humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due
time,
Therefore humble yourselves under the
mighty hand of God; Peter
is making this statement due to the persecution his listeners were experiencing.
We know about the hard life they were having based on previous chapters. Through
the hardships humility was taking a back seat and pride was emerging.
We
often worry about our position and status, hoping to get proper recognition for
what we do. But Peter advises us to remember that God's recognition counts more
than human praise.
That He may exalt you in due time; God is able and willing to bless us
according to his timing. Humbly obey God regardless of present circumstances,
and in his good time, either in this life or in the next, he will honor you. So
along with conducting our life in a humble manner we also must practice patience.
7 casting
all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
God
loves us more than we can comprehend and He will provide. All we have to do is remain
faithful to His Son Jesus. Give all our concerns to Jesus and let Him provide what
we need and not what we want. If God has saved you, you can rest assure that He
will care for you. The reward we receive one day, will take our breath away.
Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created
that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All
things were created through Him and for Him.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God."
The
Lighthouse Full Gospel Church
Sinners
Prayer; Pray this, and if you believe it with your heart, Jesus will save you!
“Lord Jesus I know I am a
sinner. I confess my sins to you; I am
sorry for my sins; I repent (Meaning, desiring to turn from a sinful
lifestyle.) of all my sins, and I am asking for your forgiveness. I believe that only you can forgive sin. I commit my life to you and ask you to come
into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life. I believe that you died to set me free from
my sinful lifestyle and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and
right now you are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty. I believe you are
the Son of God; the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and my
Savior.” I believe this and have faith
you will make a new person out of me, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in my
heart and lead me in a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.”
(John 3:16,17; Romans
3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; Ephesians
2:8-10; 1 John 5:11-14; 1:6-10)
(Sin: Rom. 1:22-32; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph.
5:3-7)
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