11/23/2024 – Prologue – We have three segments to complete our study of 1 Peter. We take two segments per week. However, the last is – Standing Firm in God’s Power. That is a powerful message that we need to take heart at this place in our time/space continuum. In the past 90 years there have been events of cataclysmic proportions: The bombing of Pearl Harbor; The use of the Atomic bombs on Japan; The assassination of President John Kennedy; The collapse of the World Trade Center; and The election of Donald Trump 47.
[1 Peter 4:12-19] – Sharing the Messiah’s Sufferings - William Tyndale, c. 1494 – 1536, an English Biblical scholar who was a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation prior to his execution. He translated most of the Bible into English and it was used in writing the KJV (1611). Tyndale, influenced by other Reformers. His work was heretical and death ensued because translating the Bible into English was prohibited and could be interpreted only by ordained clergy. The 1st printing was intercepted by the Bishop of London and burned. The funds he received from the sale of the early copies provided him with the funds needed to continue his work. These verses exemplify Tyndale’s cause. [v. 14] “If you are abused because of the name of the Messiah, you are blessed …” The apostles found it a privilege to be labelled with the name of the Messiah. [Acts 5:41] They were part of the royal family, and it carries power and the Messiah was chief temple builder. [2:4-5] He will come in His spirit and dwell in your midst. [v. 16] Peter knew no one likes to be ill treated and persecuted and when he was writing, people wondered, even though Jesus had been raised from the dead - Did He not defeat the powers of sin and death? He was thinking of [Zech. 13:7] who Jesus quoted on the night He was betrayed [Mark 14:27] The shepherd was struck, killed, and the sheep scattered. Was it prophetic? Jesus also refers to being refined by fire [Zech. 13:9] The key point of our response to unjust persecution lies in our ability to read the signs, knowing you are on the right path, makes all the difference. Peter reminds his followers/us that we are to see things in light of the final judgement. The out-come is not in doubt: Jesus will vindicate His faithful people. However, we are to remain sober in making an evaluation. Judgement will begin – not with the obviously wicked, but with God’s own household – us – [v. 17] Just because God’s faithful people are assured ultimate salvation does not reduce the seriousness of salvation. [1 Cor. 3:12-15] Paul reminds us that Christians will be judged also and some will be saved only through fire. Peter in [v. 18]: the righteous person is scarcely saved! From God’s perspective, the holiest, most loving person is stillsomeone who needs to be rescued, and is still weighted down with sin that without grace and mercy shown through Jesus that rescue would not happen. Do not panic, fill yourself with gratitude. The people who persecute the church will meet their own judgement in due time; and God’s people in the meantime are called to faith and patience. We should, ‘entrust our whole lives’ to God – by doing what is good. This does not mean simply keeping a set of rules or just not getting into trouble. ‘Doing good’ is a much stronger motivator – it means bringing fresh goodness, fresh love, fresh kindness, fresh wisdom into the community, the family, and to the folks we meet on the street. Doing this, we are not saying WOW look at me, am I not good? We are saying, “God, I trust you, this is what you have called me to do. This is what I am doing with the life you havegiven me. If I suffer, I will be a person committed to your glory. The overlooked aspect of Christian life is the belief that God is faithful and upon that we can rely – absolutely. With that assurance we can get on about life and our task of bringing His light and love into the world.
[1 Peter 5:1-7] – Humble Shepherds – “Do the proper work of a shepherd …” [v. 5:2a] That phrase brought me to a dead stop. Time froze. Suddenly, the 1st Letter of Peter, made full sense. We need to link [v. 5:2a] with [v. 4:19b] and interpret them as a single thought: ‘The task of bringing His light and love to the world is the proper work of a shepherd’. The theological linchpin for that declarative sentence is [Matt. 28:19]: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” It often appears that over the past 60 to 70 years we have overvalued the importance of personal salvation to the detriment of personal service. This is not an ‘either/or’ choice. It is clearly a balanced ‘and’ choice. God’s gift of grace (salvation) was given for the purpose of doing the proper work of a shepherd. Salvation is passive, proper work is active and we should notice - God is not passive. No wonder many churches have empty pews, others are gone having been deconsecrated and others consolidated into a single parish. There are also cultural influences in declining participation in church ser-vices, but that is for another day. Thus, back to humble shepherds.
Do these verses turn us to thinking about leadership? If someone has to think about being a leader perhaps, they are not. To be a good leader one must sincerely communicate the following: energy, enthusiasm, productivity, and effectiveness. Truth be told leadership is akin to friendship or happiness, i.e., doing it w/o thinking about it. What do we need today in our most fundamental of communities: church and society? We need people who deeply care about the state of those communities. We need people who do not think of them as a career, but to think about the opportunity to serve. Stating this fundamentally - do we sense that we are being called by God. We are called to perform based on reality not abstract principles. What Peter is describing here are servants, not leaders, because the best shepherds are not thinking, ‘How can I be a shepherd?’, but, ‘How can I best look after these sheep?’ The focus is on the shepherd’s qualities and the needs of, and potential dangers for those they care for. Do not think of your profit [v. 2]. Peter refers to himself as an elder, having both status and age. Most often they are linked and imply speaking with truth. Peter learned from Jesus not to lord it over those under your care, but by example. [v. 3] One could ascribe a motto to this attitude – “Serve to Lead.” Failure here limits one’s ability within dangerous/difficult times. Whether we are talking about junior or senior leaders they must be clothed in humility. [v. 5] Have we noticed that only within early Christianity did the notion of humility arise? Virtue was not ubiquitous. Jesus had announced God’s kingdom, had died, been raised and elevated. He is ‘the chief shepherd’ [v. 4] and will reappear when heaven and earth are brought together. He is the model and standard by which all other shepherds will be judged. Jesus drew heavily from the OT on matters of care, feeding and protection. [Ps. 23; Ez. 34] How Jesus applied those OT verses to His earthly mission is seen in [Luke 15:3-7; John 10:1-6]. Equally important is how Peter was restated as ‘shepherd’ of Jesus’ followers after his disaster of denials. [John 21: 15-19] Leadership in the world often means: bossing, nagging, threatening and punishing. The flock may do what you wish, but will not thrive. It may appear strong, but it is weak. The call to be a humble servant is a call to true strength and results in a strong bond such that the shepherd merely walks toward the pasture and the flock follows. Often it does not appear such, the challenge still exists. Peter then exhorts us to throw all our cares on God. That is a powerful verb, we are weighted down, but God will carry them and will be delighted to do so. Really – He loves you! AMEN
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