Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 53

 Submit to God, Resist the Devil Part 1

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. KJV Note: New King James Version 

The Apostle Peter now turns his focus upon each one of us individually, the younger and older (in chronological age and also in number of years we have been born again sons and daughters of our Abba in Heaven) to declare to us how we should relate to one another as we worship and serve our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. In 1 Peter 5:5, the Apostle says we are to be subject one to another and this English word 'subject' is translated by the Greek word hupotasso which means that we are to be obedient to one another in the Lord, that is, in all accordance, acknowledgement, and accenting to His Holy Word. We are not to be subordinate or obedient to someone who is in the visible Church who has gone off on some tangent and have rejected the truth and made shipwreck of their faith like Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Timothy 1:19-20). The desire of Peter is the desire of our Lord Jesus and that is that we are to love 💕 one another 'in truth', to serve one another 'in truth' and to submit to one another 'in truth' and never to use one another to gain filthy earthly treasure 🪙 that fades away into nothing, nor to use one another to gratify vile fleshly appetites that defile the flesh and sear the conscience and destroy love and the unity of the Spirit, for we should remember and heed these words of the Apostle Paul written to the Church @Rome, "Love 💕 does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love 💕 is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep 😴; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand ✋. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light 🕯️. Let us walk properly/decently, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust ❤️‍🔥, not in strife and envy. But put on Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lust ❤️‍🔥." (Romans 13:10-14) (NKJV). This is our mandate. These are our marching orders from the King 👑 of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Apostle Peter next commands each of us in 1 Peter 5:5 to be clothed with humility. The little English phrase 'be clothed with' is translated by the Greek word egkomboomai (used this one time only in the entire New Testament) which means (to gird); to engirdle oneself (for labor), that is, figuratively (the apron being a badge of servitude) to wear (in token of mutual deference). The English word 'humility' is translated by the Greek word tapeinophrosune which means humiliation of mind, that is, modesty: - humbleness of mind, humility of mind, lowliness of mind. In other words, we should never think 💬 about ourselves as being some great man 👞 or great woman 👠 of God over and above our brothers and sisters in the faith, but instead we should be willing often times to yield to the will of our brothers and sisters (so long as their will or desire is in accordance to willing of Abba/God). They are as Beloved 😍 by our Father in Heaven as we are and living in true humility is to give way to their desires even when we think 🤔 our desire is good 👍. When we respect and appreciate one another and have a regard for one another's feelings we are honoring our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter has already declared this attitude and disposition that we must have one to another earlier in this same first letter 💌 with these words (remember), "Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love 💕 as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous/humble; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing." (1 Peter 3:8-9) (NKJV). The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines 'humility' as the personal quality of being free from arrogance and pride and having an accurate estimate of one's worth. "What God desires most is not outward sacrifices but a humble spirit (Psalm 51:17; Micah 6:8). Such a humble spirit shows itself in several ways: a recognition of one's sinfulness before a Holy God (Isaiah 6:5), obedience to God (Deuteronomy 8:2), and submission to God (2 Kings 22:19; 2 Chronicles 34:27)." (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary). 

Why has the Apostle Peter instructed or commanded us in the manner above? He tells us why with these last words in 1 Peter 5:5, "For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." The English word 'resisteth' is translated by the Greek word antitassoma which means to range oneself against, that is, oppose. The English word 'proud' is translated by the Greek word huperephanos which means appearing above others (conspicuous, that is, without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious), that is, (figuratively) haughty, that is, having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one's views as unworthy. In other words, God opposes or is against the proud man 👞 or proud woman 👠, that is, He fights against them, for to Him their cloak of superiority and obvious high mindedness irritates Him. God tells us in Proverbs 6:17 that pride is an abomination to Him, that is, He disgust it, He deplores it, and He detest it. Do you think 💬 Abba/God wants to see things manifested/made visible that He disgust, deplores, and detest in the lives of His sons and daughters on a regular basis? Well, do you? God forbid, never never, of course not, for when He sees it manifested in any of us He will do exactly 💯 as these words of the writer ✍️ of Hebrews declares, " If you endure chasentning, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit 🍑 of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:7-11) (NKJV). God/Abba gives His grace to those of us who have and are humbling ourselves before Him. Peter declares finally in 1 Peter 5:5 that God giveth grace to the humble. The English word 'grace' used here by the Apostle Peter is translated by the Greek word charis which means graciousness (as gratifying); especially the divine influence upon the heart ❤️, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude): - benefit, favor, joy liberality, pleasure, thanks. That is, or in other words, You Dear Abba fill our inner man ♂️ and inner woman ♀️ with Your influence which causes us to want to live for You in faithful obedience and Your words become to us as written by the Psalmist with these words, "Your is a lamp 🪔 to my feet and a light 🕯️ to my path." (Psalms 119:105) (NKJV) and also these words, "Your word I have hidden in my heart ❤️, that I might not sin against You." (Psalms 119:11) and also these words, "I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word." (Psalms 119:101) (NKJV) and also these words, "How sweet 🧁 are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey 🍯 to my mouth!" (Psalms 119:103) (NKJV) and also these words, "Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity/sin have dominion over me." (Psalms 119:133) (NKJV). 

Here is what Alexander MacLaren had to say of 1 Peter 5:5, "Humility does not consist in being, or pretending to be, blind 🦯🦮 to one's strong points. There is no humility in a man 👞 denying that he can do certain things if he can do them, or even refusing to believe he can do them well, if God has given him special faculties in any given ⬇️ ⬆️. That is not humility at all. But to know whence all my strength comes, and to know what a little thing it is, after all; not to estimate myself highly, and, still further, not to be always insisting upon other people estimating me highly, and to think 🤔 a great deal more about their claims on me than fretfully to insist upon my due modicum of respect and attention from others, that is the sort of temper that Peter means here. Now, that temper which may recognise fully any gift 🧧 🎁 that God has given me, its sweep and degree, but that nevertheless takes a true, because a lowly, measure of myself, and does not always demand from other people their regard and assistance, that temper is a thing we can cultivate. We can increase it, and we are all bound to try specifically and directly to do so. Now, I believe that a great part of the feeble and unprogressive character of so many Christian people amongst us is due to this, that they do not definitely steady their thoughts 💭 and focus them on the purpose of finding out the weak points to which special attention and discipline should be directed. It is a very easy thing to say, 'Oh, I am a poor, weak, sinful creature!' It would do you a great deal more good to say, 'I am a very passionate one, and my business is to control that quick temper of mine,' or, 'I am a great deal too much disposed to run after worldly advantage, and my business is to subdue that,' or, 'I am afraid I am too closed-fisted, and I ought to crucify myself into liberality.' It would be a great deal better, I say, to apply the general confession to specific cases, and to set ourselves to cultivate individual types of goodness, as well as to seek to be filled with the all-comprehensive root of it all, which lies in union with Jesus Christ. We have often to preach, Dear brethren, that the way of self improvement is not by hammering at ourselves, but by letting God mould us, and to keep the balance right 👍. We have also to insist on the other side of the truth, and to press complementary thought 💭 that specific efforts after the cultivation of specific virtues and all the more if they are virtues that are not natural to us, for the Gospel is given to us to mend our natural tempers. This is the duty of all Christian people that would seek to live as Christ would have them." 

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray 🙏 this from your heart ❤️ to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking 🗣️ directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn 🛞 from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart ❤️ and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen!!!

Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 52

 Shepherd the Flock of God Part 2

1 Peter 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown 👑 of glory that fadeth not away. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version 

After having exhorted and encouraged the men who were selected by God to lead His flock of true believers here on the earth 🌎, Peter now reminds them that their faithfulness of handling the Word of God in or with sincerity and truth will be judged not by other believers only, but by the very One who has placed them in the position of feeding His flock our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter calls Him alone the 'Chief Shepherd' and never himself or anyone of the other Apostles. Here is one place where many have taken off on a tangent and twisted the Word of God to their own destruction and to the defiling of many sincere souls seeking the truth, but being led into error. Peter never meant that he was the chief shepherd of God's flock of true believers, for there in the text this reality, this truth should be clearly seen, as it is written by Peter with these words, "And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown 👑 of glory that fadeth not away." (1 Peter 5:4) (KJV). It should be so easily discerned, disclosed, and discovered by any of God's true sheep 🐑 that in using the little adverb 'when' and the little English phrase 'shall appear' which is translated by the Greek word phaneroo which means to render apparent (literally or figuratively): - appear, manifestly declare, make manifest, shew self that Peter is not referring to himself for he is already physically before all the other believers and therefore could not be speaking 🗣️ of himself. Also he has clearly declared himself at the beginning of his discourse on this subject matter (1 Peter 5:1) only an elder along with all the other elders. First, let me say that none of us will ever be 100% accurate in our pursuit of understanding the Word of God, for we can and should recall these words of the Apostle Paul to the believers @Rome when he wrote, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out! 'For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?' 'Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to Him?' For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:33-36) (NKJV). However, there is much in God's Holy Word that He wants and requires of us that we be diligent, dutiful, and determined to dig out every beautiful and glorious nugget of truth through study, prayer 🙏, and yielding to God the Holy Spirit that He may illuminate as much deep truth that we desire to behold, therefore, we should likewise heed these words given also to the Apostle Paul when he wrote to Brother Timothy, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) (NKJV). This little English phrase Paul uses in (2 Timothy 2:15) 'rightly dividing' is translated by the Greek word orthotomeo (it is used this one time only in the entire New Testament) it means to make a straight cut, that is, (figuratively) to dissect (expound/elaborate) correctly (the Divine Message). Although, we will never understand the mind of God, we are tasked by God Himself to declare His Divine Truth accurately because it will be the difference between life (Revelation 22:14) and death (Revelation 22:15) for sinners seeking to know the truth. Jesus Christ is the 'Chief Shepherd' of His flock and not Peter or Paul or anyone else. Christ alone will judge correctly how His elders have fed His sheep 🐑 the truth of His Word and He will reward accordingly each with the unfading 'crown of glory' that will be taken off by each true under shepherd and cast at Christ feet in honor and love 💕 for their 'Great Shepherd' who counted them worthy to serve Him. 

Here is what the Expositor's Bible Commentary had to say of 1 Peter 5:4, "For their consolation the Apostle sets before the elders their Judge in His self-chosen character. He is the Chief Shepherd. Judge He must also be-when He is manifested; but while He must pass sentence on their work, He will understand and weigh the many hinderances, both within and without, against which they have had to fight. Of human weakness, error, sin, such as beset us, He had no share; but He knows whereof we are made, and will not ask from any of us a service beyond our powers. Nay, His Spirit chooses for us, would we but mark it, the work in which we can serve Him most fitly. And He has borne the contradiction of sinners against Himself. In judging His servants, then, He will take account of the willfulness of ears that would not hear and of eyes 👀 that would not see, of the waywardness that chose darkness rather than light 🕯️, ignorance rather than Divine knowledge, death rather than life. Therefore His feeble but faithful servants may with humble minds welcome His appearing. He comes as Judge. 'Ye shall receive.' It is a word descriptive of the Divine award at the last. Here it marks the bestowal of a reward, but elsewhere (2 Peter 2:13) the Apostle uses it for the payment to sinners of the hire of wrongdoing. But the Judge is full of mercy. Of one sinner's feeble efforts He said, 'She hath done what she could. Her sins are forgiven.' And another who had labored to be faithful He welcomed to His presence: 'Enter into the joy of thy Lord.' To share that joy, to partake of His glory, to be made like Him by beholding His presence-this will be the faithful servant's prize 🏆, a crown 👑 of amaranth, unwithering, eternal."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray 🙏 this from your heart ❤️ to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking 🗣️ directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn 🛞 from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart ❤️ and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen!!!

Peter Exhorts the Persecuted Believers Volume 51b

 Shepherd the Flock of God Part 2

1 Peter 5:2-3 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version 

What was the Apostle Peter exhorting and beseeching these men to do? The answer comes from his first word in this very next verse, as it is written, "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:2-3) (KJV). A Shepherd of sheep 🐑 leads his flock out to the pasture to graze on the lush green grass so they will be nourished and grow up strong and their wool will be of great quality. So must the Shepherd of the flock of God feed them a constant diet of the Word of God that they too will grow up strong and spiritually nourished. This is not to be forced upon someone because their earthly father or grandfather or uncle was an elder, but it is to be done voluntaringly with joy of heart ❤️ and willingness of the mind desiring to impart to fellow brothers and sisters 'in Christ' the illuminating of the Word of God that the Spirit of God has given to us, knowing that we are answerable to our Lord Jesus Christ for whether we are endeavoring to impart the truth of the Word of God to the best of our ability or someone is using the Word of God and twisting it to give any people the lies their flesh want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4), so the purveyor of such lies himself will be highly compensated for vain glory now in time, but with no desire that God would be glorified in lives changed and spiritual maturity reached. The Apostle Paul declared to us why our Lord Jesus Christ gave some to be elders in His Church with these words, "And He Himself gave some to be Apostles, some Prophets, some Evangelist, and some Pastors and Teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind 🍃 of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking 🗣️ the truth in love 💕, may grow up in all things into Him who is the Head (Christ) from whom the whole Body, joined and knit 🧶 together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the Body for the edifying of itself in love 💕." (Ephesians 4:11-16) (NKJV). This is the will of God and this is why He gave some men these gifts and appointed them to use these gifts 🎁 🎁 for the building 🏢 up of His Body the Church. Not so they would make a name for themselves or build an empire on the earth 🌍 for themselves, but to glorify God and to be examples to those under their care in how to follow Christ taking up our Cross and living the set apart holy life Christ called us into when He brought us out of darkness (Colossians 1:13-14). Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of 1 Peter 5:2-3, "The Pastor's duty described, and the manner in which that duty ought to be performed. The Pastoral duty is three-fold: (1) To feed the flock, by preaching to them the sincere Word of God, and ruling them according to such directions and discipline as the Word of God prescribes, both which are implied in this expression, Feed the flock. (2) The Pastors of the Church must take the oversight thereof. The elders are exhorted to do the office of Bishops (as the Word signifies), by personal care and vigilance over all the flock committed to their charge. (3) They must be examples to the flock, and practice the holiness, self-denial, mortification, and all other Christian duties, which they preach and recommend to their people. These duties must be performed, not by constraint, not because you must do them, not from compulsion of the civil power, or the constraint of fear or shame, but from a willing mind that takes pleasure in the work: not for filthy lucre, or any emoluments and profits attending the place where you reside, or any perquisite (fringe benefit) belonging to the office, but of a ready mind, regarding the flock more than the fleece, sincerely and cheerfully endeavoring to serve the Church of God; neither as being lords over God's heritage, tyrannizing over them by compulsion and coercive force, or imposing unscriptural and human inventions upon them instead of necessary duty. 

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray 🙏 this from your heart ❤️ to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking 🗣️ directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn 🛞 from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart ❤️ and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen!!!