Welcome to another edition of the Weekend Sermon. I am glad to be with you once again this week to share a message from the Word of the Lord.
Today is my birthday, and I want to thank the Lord for bringing me safely through another year. As I have said many times before, I would never have made it this far in my life without the Lord's hand to guide and help me. This has been a year of many changes, and the Lord has been with me all the way. Praise be unto his Almighty name.
In prayer this week, please pray for my nephew. He has battled Crohn's disease for quite sometime, and now he has to have an operation on his colon. Please pray that he will have a complete recovery from this operation. Also pray that the Lord will give comfort to my brother and my sister-in-law during this anxious time.
Let us also be in prayer for some other matters. In the state of Alaska, there is a terrible forest fire raging. Pray that this fire will be extinguished, and that people will be safe. Let us also pray for an end to the avian flu, dog flu and other terrible viruses that are right now plaguing this world.
As always, let us continue to pray for peace. Syria, Ukraine, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan are still ravaged by conflict.
Last week, we took a one week break from our studies in I Peter. Today will resume our study and we will start with chapter five.
In the section we will look at today, Peter has words of exhortation to those who are elders in the church, and he has some important words to say about the theme of humility. Let's look at both of these.
First of all, Peter addresses elders. In the church today, there is quite a difference of opinion on what was meant by the term elder in the Bible. In the churches that I grew up in as a boy, elders were viewed as being ordained ministers only. Deacons were elected to be the church board of directors.
In other churches, the pastor is viewed as a teaching elder while other elders are appointed or elected to be part of the church board. Some churches would also include deacons.
It is my opinion, based upon my understanding of Scripture, that when the Bible speaks of elders who rule in the church it is speaking of those who are called by God to be pastors and teachers. Deacons, in my understanding, are also those who are specially called to administer to the physical needs of the congregation.
With that in mind, I believe that Peter is addressing pastors and ministers in this first section of chapter five. The function of a pastor is to feed the flock and to provide oversight. A pastor's duty is to make sure that the Word of the Lord is proclaimed and taught so that the congregation can grow and mature spiritually. The pastor is also tasked with the responsibility of making sure that the church is not falling into any false teaching. The pastor should also assist the members of the congregation with their spiritual needs through counseling.
Peter also states that pastors are supposed to be examples for the congregation to follow. In the pastoral epistles, Paul gives a list of qualifications for elders and deacons. Many of these qualifications have to do with the moral qualities of a person. Someone who is to be a leader of a congregation must have a lifestyle that is an example of Godliness and holiness.
Peter also discusses some characteristics that should not be part of a pastor's life. For one thing, a pastor must be someone who has willingly accepted the call of God. A pastor must be a person who enjoys what they are doing and not feel like they are performing a duty in obligation to God.
A pastor must not be in it for the money. Unfortunately, this is becoming something that is bringing much shame and reproach upon the body of Christ. Being a minister is not about making money. While it is not wrong for a minister to make a wage on which he or she can support a family, it is wrong for pastors to make an excessive income. In my mind, there is something unseemly about a minister driving a luxury car and having a huge home.
Many prominent ministers today are well-known for their extravagant lifestyles and high salaries. It hurts me to look at sites like Charity Navigator and see the large salaries given to some very well-known ministers.
When people in the world who don't know Jesus see this kind of thing, it causes them to be turned off from the things of the Lord. It is a bad testimony, and it drives many people away from the church and a relationship with Jesus.
Thankfully, there are some ministers who are not in it for the money. Their are many faithful men and women who have gone so far as to take a vow of poverty in order to help the advancement of the Kingdom of God. They are truly examples of honorable and faithful service to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Peter also states that ministers should not act as lord's over the congregation. I know that in the fundamentalist churches of my youth, the pastor ruled the church and the lives of the people in it. Many of the ministers were very authoritarian and had nasty personalities.
This is not the way in which a pastor should act. A pastor should be a caring person who puts the needs of the flock above his or her own needs. A pastor should be gracious and humble knowing that one day, that pastor will have to give an account to Jesus.
Those pastors who have faithfully followed the Lord Jesus, will receive the crown of glory from Jesus when Jesus returns to establish His kingdom that will have no end.
From this point, Peter moves into a discussion of humility. It is not only pastors that must be humble people. Jesus has called all of His followers to be humble. The first part of humility is realizing that apart from the grace of the Lord Jesus we are nothing. We can do no good thing apart from the enablement of the Lord.
We also need to realize that everything we have comes from the hand of the Lord. It is only through His love and faithfulness that we are where we are today.
In all things, Jesus is our example of a humble life and a humble heart. Jesus taught many parables about humility. One of these is the parable about going to a feast. Jesus said that when you are invited to a dinner, take the lowest place. Jesus also demonstrated His humble heart when He took the place of a servant and washed the disciples' feet in the Upper Room.
Jesus demonstrated ultimate humility when He willingly gave up His life. Jesus suffered in agony on the cross. The God of all glory took upon Himself human flesh. He suffered humiliation for us so that we might be redeemed.
Jesus is our example of humility. Because of His humility, He was and will be exalted. He has been given the name that is above every name. When Jesus returns, He will be acknowledged by every creature as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Every knee will bow to Jesus on that great and glorious day.
I hope that you have humbled yourself and come to the realization that you are a sinner who needs a Savior. Only Jesus Christ can save you from your sins. Turn to Jesus in repentance and faith today. Next week, we will conclude our series in I Peter. It has been a real joy to study this book. On Monday, I will post the verses. I am a little behind on my reading, so I am not sure if there will be a review on Wednesday. I will try. The Weekend Sermon will appear on Friday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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