All right. Let's take our Bibles
and turn with me to the book of 1 Peter. 1 Peter chapter 5. I was looking at this passage of
scripture a few days ago and it especially struck me. And I, looking at it time and
time again, I had first planned to Just look at the 14 verses,
all the verses at one time, one service. And I looked at it again
yesterday and I thought, no, I think what I'm gonna do is
just preach the first four verses in this first service, and then
Lord willing, the next service, verses five to 14. And I've taken my title out of
the fourth latter part of the third verse, where it says, but
being in samples or examples to the flock. And so I've entitled
this series, it's first and second service for today, Being Examples to the Flock. So starting in verse 1, the Apostle
Peter says, the elders which are among you, I exhort, who
am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and
also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Peter
is going to speak under the inspiration of God's Spirit first to the
elders, to the preachers. And he gives them some particular
direction. These are men now that have been
called of God, gifted, taught the gospel, and placed in a place
of ministry, and God is going to talk to them. He's going to
do it through the apostle. But these scriptures are God-inspired,
so he talks to them, he says, now the elders which are among
you, I exhort. He said, now I'm also an elder. Now he was an apostle, and apostles
had a special, a special blessing. They had been taught the gospel
by the Lord Himself. They had been graced to be able
to follow Him. He's speaking from, not speculation,
but He's speaking from experience. He said, I exhort whom also an
elder and a witness. He said, I I saw, I experienced
what I'm about to tell you. He said, I'm a witness of the
sufferings of Christ. Now, Peter, from being with the
Lord, he actually saw the sufferings of our Lord. He saw the cruelty
that men that knew Him not, exhibited toward the Master those
that opposed Him. He said, I was a witness of His
anguish in the garden of Gethsemane, that time when the Lord took
Peter, James, and John and brought them with Him. He told them,
He said, you pray and He's going to go over and call upon the
Lord. This was just before His crucifixion,
he was sweating drops, as it were, drops of blood. He said,
I was with him. I saw him. I was there. Whenever Judas came up and kissed
him, he said, I was standing there. And he said, I saw the
mob. He said, I saw them. They came
up. The Lord asked them, who are
you seeking? Well, we're seeking Jesus of
Nazareth. And he said, I am. He said, he fell back. And he
said, one came and he said, I took my sword. I was going to open
his head up, cut his ear off. He said, the Lord put it back
on. He said, I witnessed it. He said,
I saw. This is when he betrayed him,
but he said, I was there when they took him in that mock trial. They scourged him and they pulled
out his beard, put a crown of thorns on him, put a robe around
him and put a reed in his hand and they hit him. He said, I
was there when they crucified him. nailed him to the cross. He said, I'm telling you, I was
a witness of the sufferings of Christ. And he said, and also
a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. He said, not
only did I see his sufferings, but I beheld, I was a partaker,
I shared in the witness. of the glory that was bestowed
upon the Lord by the Father. He said, I was there on the Mount
of Transfiguration. He said, there was the Lord there,
and there was Moses and Elijah, and His countenance was brighter
than the noonday sun. He said, I heard I heard the
voice from heaven. The father, I heard this. The father say, this is my beloved
son, in whom I'm well pleased. You hear him. He said, I was
a witness, a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. I was there on the Mount of Olives. I was there. And he was talking
to us. And he was talking to us. And
while he was talking to us, he just began to rise. He said, I watched him go into
heaven. I watched the clouds receive
him. He said, I saw him go up. And there were two men standing
there. And they said, you men of Galilee,
why stand ye gazing here into the heavens? This same Jesus
that you see ascend up shall come in like manner. He said,
I saw it. I was a witness. And he said,
I personally partook. of that glory that shall be revealed. He said, now, I can tell you
this, that glory that I beheld, that I was blessed to beheld.
He said, everybody's gonna see it. It's gonna be revealed. Everybody is going to see it.
Every man, every woman that's ever walked this earth is gonna
see it. When he comes back that second
time, it's gonna be wonderful. It's going to be wonderful for
those that died in the faith. They're going to rise first.
They're going to ascend to meet the Lord in the air. Paul the
apostle says, we which are alive. You know, we're not gonna prevent
them that died and sleep in the Lord. They're gonna rise first,
but we're gonna meet them in the air, and so shall we ever
be with the Lord. But there's also, when he appears
in glory again, not everybody is gonna be rejoicing. Hold your
place right there. Turn over to Revelation 6, Revelation
chapter 6. Now this account right here,
it doesn't necessarily, it's not pertaining to even though
it, I'm sure it could be, but the day of judgment. But I believe
that the account reading that we're going to read right here,
Revelation 6 verse 15 to 17, has to do also with when a man
or woman dies without Christ. Listen to this, Revelation 6.
15 to 17, and the kings of the earth,
and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains,
and the mighty men, and every bondman, every free man, hid
themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and
said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us. Hide us from the
face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of
the Lamb. For the great day of His wrath
is come, and who shall be able to stand? It could be the day of judgment,
absolutely. But I'll tell you when it also
is. When a man or a woman leaves
this world without Christ in death, And all of a sudden, the
mountains and the rocks of false religion, that's where they had
their security. That's where all of their faith
was in. Their profession of faith, their
free will, their decision, their baptism, whatever was their rock,
whatever was their mountain, I know, I know the Lord. I gave
my heart to Him and I asked Jesus to come into my heart. And by
my profession of faith, I made a profession of faith. And that
day, every time I hear someone that dies, I know you do too,
but every time I hear someone that dies, and obviously there
was no evidence whatsoever of them ever being under the sound
of the gospel or, you know, the Lord knows. Every person that
leaves this world without Christ immediately, they know. I've made a grave error. I've
made a sad mistake. I was wrong. And they know it. They cry out. So Peter, he's
telling them, he said, listen, I'm an elder and I exhort. I
exhort you elders and I am too. He said, listen, I was a witness
of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory
that shall be revealed. Then he said this in verse 2. He said, 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. A margin says when he's talking
about feed Feed as much as in you is. Feed the flock of God. Feed them who are the Lord's
elect. This is what an elder, a preacher,
is called to do. What am I to do? Be a social worker? Be a... The Lord has called me to feed
the flock. Where do you think Peter got
that? Where do you think he got that terminology? Remember on
the sea of Tiberias, the day before, Peter had said, I'm going
back. I'm going back to what I used
to do. I'm going back to fishing. I'm a good fisherman. This is
what I've done all my life. I'm going. The others say, yeah,
we're going with you. I've told you before. He wasn't just looking
for a little relaxation. He quit. I quit. And they went
out and toiled all night. Didn't catch anything. The Lord
the next day, next morning, John sees the Lord, tells Peter it's
the Lord. Peter jumps into the water. And
he goes in there. Nobody says anything. First words
spoken. Peter, lovest thou me more than
these? And he told him three times,
you feed my lambs. You feed my sheep. You love me,
you feed my sheep. This is what Peter is telling
them. He said, listen, I heard this from the mouth of the master. This is what he told me to do.
And you elders, you listen to what I'm saying. the flock of
God which is among you. You feed them and you feed them
nutritiously. When I am standing here, I am
exhorted by the Spirit of God through the Apostle Peter. You
make sure that when you preach, you make sure it's the gospel.
You make sure it's the message that declares salvation. to be
of the Lord in its inception, in its procurement by the blood
of Christ and its application by the Spirit of God in regenerating
grace. You make sure that you set forth
that all glory and all honor and all praise is unto the Lord
Jesus and that we get none of it and that we are what we are
by the grace of God. and that God Almighty has been
pleased because it pleased Him to do so, to save a people of
His choosing. You tell them that God chose
to show mercy. You tell them that the Lord Jesus
Christ is not a failure. That when He laid down His life,
He redeemed His sheep. You tell them. that when the
Spirit of God comes, He comes to all that have been given Him
by the Father. And that He comes in power and
irresistibly. He comes and He removes a heart
of stone, gives them a new heart, flesh, pliable, tender, love,
and makes them willing in the day of His power. You tell them,
you preach, and you feed the sheep. Feed them. You feed them nutritiously, you
feed them consistently, and you feed them prayerfully and faithfully. You feed them the milk and the
meat of the gospel. You tell them of the bread of
heaven, and you set forth that all things that He's purposed
to do, He's going to complete them. You feed them as the Lord
instructed me. And he says, then feed the flock
of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof. That is,
the oversight you look upon, you inspect, you oversee, and
you care for. He said, be advised, be advised,
be of the sheep, of the need of the sheep. You assume the
responsibility and the role to nurture them, to guard them,
guide them. They are the flock of God. And you take that constraint,
you take it willingly. You do what you do because of
your desire to follow the Master. You know when our kids are growing
up, we don't leave them to themselves, just, you know, well, y'all just
do whatever you think is best. Well, I can tell you what they
think is best. Whatever's You know, we instruct them, we tell
them, say, no, no, you don't act like that. No, no, that's not a right attitude. No, you say you're sorry. I know
you don't want to, but you tell them you're sorry. You take the
oversight. The parent is to be the parent.
Well, in an assembly, the Lord has set up a pastor. He set up
elders, and he set those up according to his wisdom. And so the Lord
has taught Peter, taught him personally. These men, and he
said, now I'm telling you what I've learned by experience and
by regeneration. And so God's pastors, God's preachers,
they're called and exhorted against being motivated by anything other
than their love for Him. He said when you feed them, you
take the oversight, not by constraint. You know, well, I guess I got
to be here. Well, I guess they paid me. I guess I got to show
up. He said, not because you have to, but willingly. I want to be here. I want to
be able to stand and proclaim what the Lord's put on my heart.
And he said, don't do it for filthy lucre. As I've said before,
this is not It's not a job, it's a labor, but it's a labor of
love. I mean, if I'm here just for
the money, you think, well don't, you know, don't waste your time. Don't do it for any reason, not
for constraint, filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. I want to
be here. I want to be found obedient to
my master. I want to be a friend and a pastor
to God's people because, as I said, they're God's people. The Apostle
Paul said in 1 Timothy 1.12, And I thank Christ Jesus our
Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful,
putting me into the ministry. The Lord made him. He made him
to be faithful. He made him to be faithful and
then blessed what the Lord did. The Lord made him so and then
blessed what he did in Paul and all the other apostles. He counted
me faithful. Not that he looked at Paul and
said, well now there's a faithful one right there. No. He made
me to be so and then blessed his work is what he was saying.
And then he said in verse three, neither as being lords over God's
heritage, but being in samples or that it is examples to the
flock. Now that word in sample or examples,
when you look at the word, at the meaning of the word, actually
what that word example means, it's to take a die and press
it into something and it leaves an image of what, you see that? That right there. There's an
example of what that die is. That's what he's saying. He said,
I want you to be an example. You be something that leaves
an image. And it makes a model or a shape. That's what the word example
means, but in this particular place it's even a more personal
meaning. Actually, where Peter says being
examples to the flock, it is an example for others to be imitated. He said, I want you to be an
example that others are to look at Imitate. Peter was moved by the Spirit
of God to these elders. He said, don't be lords over
them. Don't be overruling, is what
it says. Remember who you're talking to. These are God's heritage. These are the Lords. These are
the ones that God has made them to be His heritage. And you are
not to be overbearing. Don't be domineering. Don't be arrogant. Don't try
to rule with an iron hand These are the beloved of the Lord. And you be seeking God's direction
and guidance, and you are to be an example to them, a pattern
or a model for them for Christ's sake. I've told you what Brother Henry
told me one time years ago. I've never forgotten this. He said, Marvin, he said, as
a preacher of the gospel of God's grace, not everybody in the community
which you live is going to love what you preach. But he said
a preacher of the gospel needs to be the most respected man
in the community in his walk, in his attitude. The Lord told His disciples concerning
their attitudes. Example, being an example. Be
an example when it comes to love. John 13, 35, by this, I've said
this, that word this, just to me, just hits me every time I
read it. By this, by this, by this. Shall all men know that you're
my disciples, if you have love one to another. Be an example. Be the one that
others would want to imitate. You know, you think about people.
You know, I think about men that I've known that have been called
to preach. And I think, men that I would
want to imitate. I want to be like that. You know,
you've got those. I want to be one that someone
would not look at me and say, well, I'll tell you one thing.
He's certainly not one I'd want to imitate. But be an example
in love. Loving one another. Now, I've
said before, talk is cheap. But when we love one another,
And I got what I'm about to say, I got this out of 1 Corinthians
13. You'll know as soon as you hear
what I'm saying. But loving one another, suffering long. What is that? Patient, patient,
patient. I mean, I'm telling you, I can
go off right now. But Lord, help me. help me to be patient. I want
somebody to be patient with me. I mean, don't fly off the handle. Don't cut somebody off for a
word. I mean, somebody said, well,
I'll tell you what he said. Well, have you ever said anything
that was, you know, I wish I wouldn't have said it like that, you know.
I mean, stuff comes out of our mouth, out of our minds and hearts
so quickly. And just somebody said, well,
I tell you what, he said, I remember back three years ago, he said, be patient. Seeking not our own
will or way, but seeking what's best for others. Not being easily provoked. This
is love. Not being easily provoked. What
does that mean? Touchy. I've told you before,
there's nothing to me that's more laborious than trying to
be around people that are high-maintenance. I mean just high-maintenance
people. You're on eggshells. You can't, you know, you got
to tiptoe through the tulips. Why? Well, because they're so
touchy. They're so, you know, but, you
know, thinking no evil. What does that mean? Don't be
suspicious of people. You know, well I know what they're
saying. You know, just, you know. But
rather be found rejoicing, not in iniquity, but in truth. The
scripture says concerning love, bearing all things. Again, what
does that mean? Covering the frailties or faults
of others in silence. Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary to say something?
Just if you love them. Look, we all have faults. I mean, we have frailties. We've
got infirmities about them. And I mean, just if you love
somebody, just cover it. You don't have to bring it up.
Somebody says, well, I hate to say this. Well, then don't say
it. Just leave it alone. Believeth all things. What does
that mean? Believes the best. Believes the best. Be an example. Be an example of those that love. Be an example in kindness. Ephesians
4.32, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Forgiving. Be an example of one
that forgives. Be an example of honesty. 1 Peter 2.12, having your conversation,
your walk, honest. What does that mean? Honorably. Honorably. Walk in virtue. Be honorable. Having your conversation honest
among the Gentiles that whereas they speak against you as evildoers,
they may by your good works which they shall behold glorify God
in the day of visitation. You walk in a way that gives
honor unto the Lord before others. And when the Lord sends adversity,
trials, and tribulations to you, to me, others shall behold the
sufficiency of God's grace toward you in the midst of that trial. Walk honestly. That means virtuously. as one that God has shown grace
and mercy. Be an example. Be an example
of doctrinal soundness. 2 Timothy 4.2 Preach the Word. This is what Paul told Timothy.
Timothy, you preach the Word. Be instant, in season, out of
season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. Walk in a way that is an example
of consistency to the Scriptures. Honor the Word in your life. Adorn the doctrine that we believe. Believers teach. They teach not
only what to say, my friend, what they do. If I walk, if I
walk, you know, everybody you know, thinks, well, I believe
the five points of Calvinism. I've said this before. The demons,
you know, know the five points of Calvinism. But walk before
others as an example of the consistency of being found in Christ. Walk
before them. If I walk, I'm telling you, if I walk, and
I know we all fail and fall and stumble. But I'm talking about
the entire tenor of our life. If our walk is inconsistent with
what we say we believe, old Ralph Bonnard said one time concerning
this very point right here, he said a man can be as straight
as a gun barrel on his doctrine and just as empty as that gun
barrel if his walk is inconsistent with what he says he believes.
I mean You can talk all day long. I'm a Calvinist and I'm telling
you if our walk is inconsistent, there's something wrong. And
the consistency of a walk is to readily admit I'm just a sinner
saved by the grace of God, but that's not an excuse. We don't
excuse. So be an example in forgiveness. Matthew 18, 21. Then came Peter
to Him and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against
me and I forgive him? Until seven times, and Jesus
saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until
70 times seven. So be an example, lifting up
and encouraging one another, you know, when they're taken
in a fall, forgiving. Galatians 6, 1, Brethren, if
a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore
such in one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself,
lest thou also be tempted. And then verse 4, we'll stop
here. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, you shall receive
a crown of glory that fadeth not away. When the chief shepherd
shall appear. Now he's talking, remember, to
elders. They're under shepherds. We're
not the shepherd. We're under shepherds. Under the great shepherd. When
the chief shepherd shall appear, then the under-shepherds who
have been taught and qualified and commissioned to feed the
people of God, His heritage. These men raised up, He's getting
ready, I'm going to tell you right now in verse 5, we said
likewise the younger, He's getting ready to talk to the congregation. But He's talking right now primarily,
which is not limited to in their attitudes, but primarily He's
teaching these elders. He said, this is how you're to
treat my heritage. This is how you're to treat my
people in this place that I've placed you. When the chief shepherd
shall appear, and he shall, then we shall receive a crown of glory
that fadeth not away. I looked up those words, a crown
of glory. I know everybody talks about,
man, my crown, I'm going to have this crown and that crown. In
their mind you see a crown like we think. But actually when I
looked at those words, a crown of glory, this is kind of the
meaning that I could conclude. It's eternal blessedness according
to God's opinion to show mercy. an eternal blessedness that fadeth
not away. In the Olympic games years ago,
I read where whoever won, they'd get a little wreath, like little
flowers or some little leaves or something. That was the prize.
And obviously, It didn't last very long. It's
going to fade and it's going to wilt. It's beauty is not going
to be there for very long. So it's just for a moment. But this crown of glory, this
glorious eternal blessing is the forever reward of the believer. It's the glory of the Lord which
He's promised to those that He's everlastingly loved. 1 Peter
1 verse 3 and 4, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten
us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and
that fadeth not away. reserved in heaven for you. So this crown of glory is the
glory of the Lord being found in Him, the glory of being more
than conquerors through Him who loved us and gave Himself for
us, the glory of hearing Him say the glory, the opinion of
the Lord, The mercy of the Lord. For Him to say to us, come ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world. That is the crown of glory that
fadeth not away. So when God's people assemble
together, Peter tells them, you elders, he said, I'm also an
elder. a witness of his sufferings, a witness of the glory that shall
be revealed. He said, you treat the heritage
of God as examples. You treat them as faithful, faithful
in love, faithful in forgiveness, faithful, faithful. And he said,
when the chief shepherd shall appear, he'll reward you. He'll take care. And may it be
so. I pray the Lord bless this to
our hearts and to His glory. Amen.