back to indexBerean Community Church Wednesday Night Bible Study 1 Peter 5:1-7
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We're going to go ahead and get started with Bible study. 00:02:54.840 |
Father, we thank you for this opportunity to study your word. 00:03:12.320 |
We thank you so much for your word that it gives us-- 00:03:21.160 |
And it allows us to understand our value and our worth. 00:03:34.600 |
to receive your word, that we would not only be hearers, 00:03:39.040 |
but doers, and live out your truth to those around us, 00:03:44.760 |
that you would use us as lights and your ambassadors 00:03:55.680 |
Would you give us strength if we're tired after a long day, 00:04:43.240 |
Before even time began, my life was in his hands. 00:05:11.680 |
Before even time began, my life was in his hands. 00:05:39.640 |
He sees each tear that falls, and hears me when I call. 00:06:38.560 |
He sees each tear that falls, and he hears me when I call. 00:07:06.040 |
He sees each tear that falls, and he hears me when I call. 00:09:22.520 |
Every breath that I take, every moment I'm awake. 00:10:57.520 |
Every breath that I take, every moment I'm awake. 00:11:24.520 |
Every breath that I take, every moment I'm awake. 00:12:14.520 |
As we all get settled down, let me--I'll give you about 15 00:12:17.520 |
seconds, and then I'm going to pray and get us started. 00:12:40.520 |
Lord, it's easy to assume that for many of us in this room 00:12:46.520 |
that that song we just sang was probably difficult to sing. 00:12:54.520 |
And if we're honest, we don't want you to have your way in 00:13:00.520 |
our hearts, for if all of us did, our worship would be a lot 00:13:19.520 |
It is our confession, Father, that our flesh is very weak, 00:13:28.520 |
easily entangled, and there is a constant tension wanting you, 00:13:42.520 |
yet at the same time, wanting the things of this world. 00:13:49.520 |
And I know that that plagues every person to varying degrees. 00:13:58.520 |
And it is our confession that it's not effort or zeal that can 00:14:07.520 |
It is our confession that it really is just all your grace. 00:14:15.520 |
It's your kindness that leads us to repentance, and we ask for 00:14:18.520 |
your kindness today in our Bible study, in our small group time, 00:14:26.520 |
in our learning, and that as we learn how to better abide in 00:14:31.520 |
you, that in your time you would bear fruit in our lives. 00:14:37.520 |
Help us not to just study the Bible tonight just to learn 00:14:44.520 |
So we entrust our time into your hands, knowing that you are 00:14:49.520 |
faithful, and would you allow, God, your word really to sharpen 00:14:54.520 |
and grow our hearts, and if need be, first break and humble. 00:15:00.520 |
So we thank you, Lord, for just this time that you've given us 00:15:08.520 |
I'm going to read the first 11 verses of chapter 5 to you. 00:15:16.520 |
We're doing 7 today, and we're looking at 7 next week. 00:15:20.520 |
Chapter 5, verse 5 on, it kind of is another little section, but 00:15:34.520 |
So follow along with your eyes and your ears. 00:15:38.520 |
"Therefore I exhort the elders among you as your fellow elder 00:15:44.520 |
and witness of the sufferings of Christ and a partaker also of 00:15:51.520 |
Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not 00:15:56.520 |
under compulsion but voluntarily according to the will of God, 00:16:00.520 |
not for sordid gain but with eagerness, nor yet as lording it 00:16:05.520 |
over those allotted to your charge but proving to be 00:16:10.520 |
And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the 00:16:17.520 |
You younger men likewise be subject to your elders, and all 00:16:22.520 |
of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another for 00:16:26.520 |
God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. 00:16:30.520 |
Therefore humble yourselves into the mighty hand of God that he 00:16:33.520 |
may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety 00:16:44.520 |
Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion 00:16:47.520 |
seeking someone to devour, but resist him firm in your faith 00:16:52.520 |
knowing that the same experiences of suffering are 00:16:54.520 |
being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 00:16:58.520 |
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all 00:17:01.520 |
grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will 00:17:05.520 |
himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 00:17:20.520 |
We've got two weeks left, today and next week. 00:17:27.520 |
Number three is just in light of the growing hostilities, what 00:17:32.520 |
were Peter's instructions to those in the church? 00:17:35.520 |
And there are two specific groups and then one, I guess, 00:17:45.520 |
So go ahead and do that and then at 820 we'll resume for our 01:17:23.520 |
If I can have you guys wrap up your final thoughts, 01:17:27.520 |
and then slowly turn your attention up to the front. 01:17:42.520 |
how you would have us to apply these truths in your Word. 01:17:48.520 |
I pray that you would give us wisdom and discernment 01:17:53.520 |
as we grow in knowledge. And as we grow in wisdom, 01:17:58.520 |
Lord would you fill our hearts with greater humility and love. 01:18:10.520 |
just outline related stuff that I want to just put up here for you. 01:18:17.520 |
So normally I'll just start out with like the red words, 01:18:22.520 |
kind of the important words that I feel like are kind of hinge words 01:18:26.520 |
that help me understand the meaning. And there are two therefores in there. 01:18:30.520 |
And if you guys remember what we looked at in chapter four 01:18:34.520 |
is a lot of suffering, right? And we're looking at today, 01:18:38.520 |
there's all these instructions for church life. 01:18:45.520 |
When there's chaos, when there's rampant pain, 01:19:02.520 |
The natural tendency for people is to blame and to point fingers. 01:19:07.520 |
Right? You leaders are not handling this well. 01:19:13.520 |
You leaders are responsible for the gas prices going up. 01:19:17.520 |
You guys have basically cost the lives of these children who died. 01:19:21.520 |
You guys are the reasons why it's just, right? 01:19:26.520 |
The previous administration, and then the previous administration says, 01:19:31.520 |
the previous administration, everybody is quick to blame. 01:19:35.520 |
And there's a reason why I feel like younger men specifically are called out. 01:19:42.520 |
Because younger men have fire. Like, we need to, you know, 01:19:45.520 |
these old fogies, they don't know what they're doing. 01:19:48.520 |
We need to take charge. So human nature always sees 01:19:53.520 |
that our struggle is against flesh and blood. 01:19:57.520 |
But reality-wise is our struggle is not against flesh and blood, right? 01:20:01.520 |
But against the principalities, against the spiritual forces of evil, 01:20:08.520 |
So this is an instruction with a therefore on church life 01:20:15.520 |
So that you understand how to do life, a normal Christian life, 01:20:20.520 |
in the midst of chaos, and letting God sort it all out. 01:20:25.520 |
Okay? So that's the, so here are three, two groups that are addressed, 01:20:29.520 |
and that's all in the purple. Elders and younger men. 01:20:33.520 |
And then all of you is everybody. Those are the three groups. 01:20:37.520 |
And with each group, there is a command there. 01:20:43.520 |
So that's the yellow. Do your eyes go there? You see it? 01:20:52.520 |
Okay? In the King James it says to feed, but it's to shepherd. 01:20:56.520 |
To young men, as it said to all citizens, to slaves, to wives, 01:21:06.520 |
And then to elders and young men, to everybody in the church, 01:21:11.520 |
there are two imperatives there. It's to clothe and to humble. 01:21:17.520 |
And even with clothe, what do you clothe yourself with? 01:21:21.520 |
Humility. Not with more strategy, not with more greater organization, 01:21:30.520 |
Okay? So those are the yellow imperatives, or the imperatives. 01:21:34.520 |
And then the other stuff I'll let you look at when you get these, 01:21:40.520 |
when you can download them from the internet. Okay? 01:21:47.520 |
So here are three take-home truths from chapter 5, verses 1 through 7. 01:21:54.520 |
Christ-like shepherding is done through the joy-filled exercising of oversight, 01:22:01.520 |
compassionate stewardship, and faithful modeling of Christian living. 01:22:06.520 |
Why do I get this super nerdy, long, awkward sentence? 01:22:10.520 |
It's... Do you see the underlined participles there? 01:22:22.520 |
Christ-like shepherding is done through joy-filled exercising of oversight, 01:22:27.520 |
compassionate stewardship, and faithful modeling of Christian living. 01:22:33.520 |
How many of you guys know that there was recently a report published 01:22:39.520 |
centering around the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest denomination, 01:22:57.520 |
And the problem, I don't think is denominational, 01:23:07.520 |
because Southern Baptist just is the largest denomination in the world. 01:23:12.520 |
But it's kind of what plagues every denomination in every church. 01:23:16.520 |
The SBC only gets the attention because it's big. 01:23:19.520 |
But I think our generation, one of the biggest problems of churchianity today 01:23:30.520 |
The wrong people are placed way too quickly in leadership. 01:23:35.520 |
Would you guys... I'm not sure if you would kind of agree with that. 01:23:40.520 |
And that's why it takes a long time to raise up a leader, 01:23:45.520 |
And the common element of every spiritual leader that's qualified 01:23:57.520 |
You need a leader who's biblically literate, true or false. 01:24:03.520 |
Yeah, because the leader is saying, "Thus saith the Lord." 01:24:06.520 |
If the leader has no idea what the Lord is saying, 01:24:12.520 |
But if you have a biblically literate spiritual leader, 01:24:16.520 |
he's going to be a combination of humility, terror, and love. 01:24:25.520 |
And that leader, in every step of his ministry, as he grows, 01:24:29.520 |
you're going to see a growth in greater humility and disgust with himself, 01:24:39.520 |
But usually when we select leaders now in churches, 01:24:56.520 |
So, one of the biggest admonitions from this chapter for the leaders 01:25:08.520 |
Actually, you know why that command and that exhortation to not under compulsion? 01:25:13.520 |
Because this calling for leadership should be a super heavy one for every elder in the church. 01:25:20.520 |
Where there's almost like, "I don't want to do this anymore!" 01:25:29.520 |
But I need to not love them with just a fleshly, like, human-empowered love? 01:25:48.520 |
So every spiritual leader who is real and authentic 01:26:10.520 |
You know, the lording it over the flock is not the problem, that's the symptom. 01:26:20.520 |
you can immediately apply that as prayer requests for the leaders at this church. 01:26:33.520 |
You know, one thing on Saturday, this past Saturday, 01:26:36.520 |
we have a Saturday leaders meeting every week. 01:26:41.520 |
This week we're just praying for different things. 01:26:45.520 |
And Pastor Peter prayed something that just caught my attention. 01:26:50.520 |
He said, "Lord, help us not to touch your glory, 01:27:02.520 |
And I know he's prayed that many times in front of, in my presence, before. 01:27:08.520 |
But for some reason this past Saturday, kind of, "Huh, why did he pray that?" 01:27:14.520 |
"Help us not to touch your glory, and help us to stay out of the way." 01:27:21.520 |
And I was like, "Maybe the fruit that's coming out of this ministry 01:27:27.520 |
is because of a prayer of a leader like that." 01:27:32.520 |
Who is like deathly terrified to touch any of the credit. 01:27:36.520 |
So keep praying that the leaders of the church 01:27:52.520 |
Secondly, the take-home truth that we can get from here is 01:28:00.520 |
all believers are called to pursue the grace of God. 01:28:03.520 |
Which is kind of weird, because how do you pursue grace? 01:28:09.520 |
How do you pursue that? But that's what the text is saying. 01:28:14.520 |
Because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 01:28:20.520 |
And there is a multiple call for humility here. 01:28:23.520 |
Clothe yourself with humility and humble yourself, right? 01:28:50.520 |
Do you realize humility is not something that you attain through effort? 01:28:58.520 |
Is humility something you attain through effort? Yes or no? 01:29:02.520 |
So I feel like it's important to define what humility is 01:29:11.520 |
So let me take a little moment to go through what it is not. 01:29:21.520 |
humility is not an external show or pretense. 01:29:30.520 |
or the more literal translations actually call it self-abasement. 01:29:39.520 |
Especially in Korea, they talk about that all the time. 01:29:44.520 |
"Oh, this presentation is so poorly done, but please pay attention to it." 01:29:48.520 |
"Oh, this meal totally sucks. I didn't cook. It doesn't taste good, but please have some." 01:30:16.520 |
So if you're good at something, be okay with being good at it. 01:30:40.520 |
Moses was the humblest man on the face of the planet. 01:31:06.520 |
"No, I haven't. I can't. I am not a good talker." 01:31:10.520 |
Acts 7.22, he was trained up in all the wisdom. 01:31:18.520 |
He's like, "I can't. I've just been feeding sheep for 40 years. 01:31:36.520 |
Because if you had sent me when I was 40, Lord, 01:31:41.520 |
But now at 80, 40 years of not using a language, you forget. 01:31:45.520 |
So that's it. Inferiority complex is not humility. 01:31:52.520 |
We know gentle and quiet people who are super stubborn, 01:32:04.520 |
that actually don't speak out when they should. 01:32:10.520 |
So trying to become more humble doesn't mean you're always just like, 01:32:15.520 |
No, because then we'd have a really boring Bible study. 01:32:25.520 |
Lastly, humility is not cowardice or passivity. 01:32:36.520 |
is sent on an errand from his dad to take food to his brothers. 01:32:39.520 |
How many of you guys are familiar with this story? 01:32:41.520 |
When he's there, he sees Goliath spewing forth offenses. 01:32:48.520 |
And he's like, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine? 01:32:53.520 |
Eliab, his oldest brother, you know what he actually says at that moment? 01:33:00.520 |
No, but that's actually David being so humble. 01:33:04.520 |
"I am so offended that this uncircumcised pagan giant dude 01:33:17.520 |
And where everyone else is shuddering in fear, 01:33:31.520 |
John the Baptist, we've been learning about him on Sundays 01:34:00.520 |
He gets beheaded for speaking out against one of the Herods. 01:34:12.520 |
And sometimes, humility actually gets mistaken for arrogance. 01:34:32.520 |
It's not something we necessarily achieve through human effort. 01:34:35.520 |
But what it is, is the attitude that results from putting God in his rightful place 01:34:41.520 |
and then in turn, us kind of getting out of the way. 01:34:52.520 |
The attitude that results from putting God in his rightful place. 01:34:58.520 |
And that runs throughout the course of 1 Peter 4 especially and 5. 01:35:05.520 |
If God is all powerful, all good, all worthy of trust, 01:35:13.520 |
I just need to follow him and not complain or grumble or be anxious. 01:35:21.520 |
Even though Satan, next week, verse 8, he's prowling around like a hungry, roaring lion, 01:35:34.520 |
But if he's my father, he's his father, he's her father, he's his father, 01:35:43.520 |
I need to steward these relationships not with condescending attitude just because I'm more experienced 01:35:52.520 |
But I need to steward these relationships in love. 01:35:58.520 |
Because we all have one father, one Lord, one spirit. 01:36:02.520 |
So if God is God in my life, my interaction with everybody around me, 01:36:11.520 |
Christian and non-Christian, but especially to those in the church, as it says in Galatians 6, 01:36:17.520 |
I'm going to be so kind and compassionate and yet not cowardly. 01:36:25.520 |
So humility is not something we necessarily achieve through human effort, 01:36:28.520 |
it is the attitude that results from putting God in his rightful place. 01:36:31.520 |
So when it says clothe yourself with humility, it's not saying put on an act. 01:36:36.520 |
It's saying figure out a proper theology of who God is and who you are not. 01:36:48.520 |
Because once we figure that out, as a Christian, your view of self should go down every year 01:36:59.520 |
Your view of God should go higher, higher every year because he is holy, holy, holy, 01:37:05.520 |
and even holier than I had ever imagined him to be. 01:37:18.520 |
He loves wretched people, I want to do the same. 01:37:22.520 |
That's what clothing myself in humility should look like as I progress in my faith. 01:37:30.520 |
Not lording it over those who are farther behind me, 01:37:34.520 |
but just being patient and watch, because do I have control over any of your hearts? 01:37:43.520 |
Even if I strive to be the best pastor that I possibly could, 01:37:48.520 |
I will make a very little impact in your life. 01:37:52.520 |
I'm just called a steward and when he says go, I go. 01:38:04.520 |
I'm an under shepherd, or I actually like to call it, I'm a sheep dog. 01:38:11.520 |
And if they need a little bit of extra encouragement, 01:38:13.520 |
and just for the rest of my time, and just be jolly. 01:38:18.520 |
I don't know if Pastor Nate would ever be mistaken for a sheep dog, but me, that might work. 01:38:26.520 |
In every season and circumstance, trust and obey, because there's no other way to be happy in Jesus. 01:38:39.520 |
I find myself very discouraged by the affairs of the world. 01:38:47.520 |
And as soon as something happens, something shows up on the media, 01:38:50.520 |
you got all kinds of people chiming in with all kinds of, this is their fault, this is your fault, this is your fault. 01:38:58.520 |
It's like, duh, you don't see it, you're so dumb. 01:39:00.520 |
You guys just need to calm down that the problem is not in, let's say, a denomination. 01:39:08.520 |
Can you cure racism and greed and stupidity out of a person's heart by legislation? 01:39:20.520 |
The only way you can change a person is by changing their heart, and the only way to do that is by the gospel of Jesus Christ. 01:39:32.520 |
But as I walk by faith and not by sight, I'm reminded my struggle is not against flesh and blood. 01:39:42.520 |
So trust and obey, and be active in your trusting and obedience. 01:39:51.520 |
So hopefully you guys, that doesn't sound like a political statement, right? 01:39:55.520 |
This is what the scripture is telling me to do in my application in my life. 01:40:01.520 |
So this is, next week, we're done after next week. 01:40:18.520 |
But if you can this week, circle back all the way to verse 1. 01:40:29.520 |
And then perhaps, take note of the three most significant themes in the letter. 01:40:34.520 |
Okay, now that we've almost heard suffering every week, fear a lot, about humility and God's sovereignty often, 01:40:42.520 |
be subject, be subject, be subject, that's come up. 01:40:45.520 |
So what are the three most significant ones that catch your eye? 01:40:48.520 |
And then, maybe write a one sentence summary of 1 Peter. 01:40:51.520 |
And if you did that before you studied this thing, maybe the sentence will be different. 01:40:57.520 |
So kind of try that as a little wrap-up exercise in addition to the last seven verses. 01:41:02.520 |
Tonight, what are the ways in which you can better support and pray for the shepherds in your church? 01:41:09.520 |
So my encouragement is, hey, perfect time to just apply this. 01:41:16.520 |
Help PPC not to be lording it over those entrusted to his care. 01:41:23.520 |
Help Pastor Mark not to shepherd under compulsion, but with eagerness. 01:41:30.520 |
Because we will wrestle with all of these things. 01:41:34.520 |
Help all the pastors not to be fond of sordid gain. 01:41:39.520 |
And then, what are the areas of pride in your life? 01:41:49.520 |
So what are the areas of pride in your life that are hindering your relationship not just with God, but with others? 01:41:55.520 |
I think a lot of times people say, "Oh, I can't believe that God is good." 01:42:00.520 |
And that's more their pride than their ability to see the evidence. 01:42:07.520 |
Three, what are the anxieties in your life that you need to cast on the Lord? 01:42:10.520 |
How can your group members pray for you and keep you accountable to those things? 01:42:19.520 |
Spend the remainder of your time together in your groups just praying for these things.