If you would, turn with me to
1 Peter 5. We're getting down to the end of 1 Peter. 1 Peter
5, and we want to read the first 11 verses. 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. 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 in samples to the flock.
And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown
of glory that fadeth not away. 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. Humble yourselves, therefore,
under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due
time. casting all your care upon him
for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant, because
your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom
he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the
faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished
in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all
grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish,
strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen. My title today is Humility. And I wanna give a short quote
by Spurgeon on this. Humility is to make a right estimate
of oneself. We start out here with exhortations
to elders. They are exhorted to feed the
flock. That's the main responsibility
of an elder. How do they do this? Preach the
gospel. The gospel proclaimed to a child
of God is their sustenance, it's their food. John 6.53 we read
Christ says, Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink
his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up
at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed,
and my blood is drink indeed. We know what this is talking
about. This is not talking about actually eating of skin and bones
and getting a cup of blood to drink. It is talking about taking
in of the gospel of Jesus Christ and him crucified. We have this
flesh, and if we do not hear the gospel, we will become weaker. And notice I didn't say weak.
We are weak already, but without this gospel, which God has been
pleased to use to save his people, we will become weaker. His gospel
continually saves us. But it says here, elders, and
I mean to say it that way instead of elder, singular, because that
is the word here, elders. But the elders are called on
to feed the sheep. What is included in this? They
have the oversight. Elders are to watch for a little
bit of leaven entering in so they can stop it. Elders are
not to do this by constraint. That is, they should not be doing
it because they feel forced into it. But elders do this because they
delight in doing it. They want to do it. A preacher,
a pastor, or elder is not to be doing this for base gain.
It's not to be done for the purpose of getting gain, in other words.
It's not saying that the elders shouldn't get any money. Turn
with me to 1 Corinthians 9. 1 Corinthians 9. I'm sure you
are familiar of this, but I'm going to read it. 1 Corinthians 9. And I'm going to read verses
3 through 11. Paul was talking about that specific
subject. 1 Corinthians 9 verse 3. My answer
to them that do examine me is this. Have we not power to eat
and to drink? Have we not power to lead about
a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren
of the Lord in Cephas? For I only am born of us. Have
not we power to forbear working? Who goeth a warfare any time
at his own charges? Who planteth a vineyard, and
eateth not of the fruit thereof? Or who feedeth a flock, and eateth
not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man,
or sayeth not the law the same also? For it is written in the
law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that
treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
Or saith he altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt. This is written, that he that
ploweth should plow in hope, and that he that thresheth in
hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown unto you
spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal
things? So it's not that the preacher
should not receive money. I would rather say that if you
have someone preaching for you, you ought to try and support
that man. You do what you can, in other
words. But I would say this, if an elder is doing this and
causing hardship on those who he is preaching to, there seems
to me to be a problem there. But there's nothing wrong with
a pastor getting a certain amount of money each month or however
God gives gifts him from his people. He is to do this, that
is, the feeding of the flock cheerfully. This is all here
in this passage, so I don't want to skip it over. I know I said
I'm talking about humility, but it all goes together. It's in
the context. This is what God says about the matter. Elders
are not to watch over the flock in such a way that they try to
control the congregants. They are not to lord this position
over them as if they are in total control. Elders do this as in
samples. And that's kind of a hard word
really for me to see, but here's how I see this word. We do this as sinners saved by
grace. I am an in sample because I'm
just like everybody else that I'm preaching to. a sinner saved
by grace. The elder watching over the flock
and feeding the sheep of God is to resemble or be a pattern
of a sinner saved by grace. We're not talking about the preacher
being perfect in all he does. He should be one who has been
saved by God's grace through the gospel of Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. We are not to lord over God's
people, it's what it says. In other words, you better do
what I say. That's not what we're to do. It's God's heritage, not
the elders'. Then it says to them, when Christ
returns, you shall receive a crown of glory. This is not saying
that we will receive anything for anything we've done. And
I agree with some commentators, this is not a reward because
they were elders over God's church, as they were supposed to. In
other words, they're not getting anything because they did what
they were supposed to. This is basically saying, do
this until this time, is what it's saying. This is, do this
until Christ returns. Because when Christ returns,
you will be given this crown, just as it says in the first
verse, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of
Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. That is that crown, the glory
of Jesus Christ, which shall be revealed to us one day. But
verse five is where I really want to go this morning. And
we read in verse five, once again, Peter is talking about submission. We've read this throughout 1
Peter a lot, submission. Tommy, we have this flesh, and
it does not want to submit to anyone. We don't want someone
else telling us what to do. I remember when I was in school,
and I feel for those that were over me then. I didn't always
not do what they said, but if I want to do something else,
and they told me to do something different, I wasn't going to
have it. And there's just no place to be. But then it tells
the younger. And here's an example of the
younger. I'm the younger. Walter and Joe
are the elder. That's an example. Although this
is not necessarily talking about younger in age, it's talking
about younger as an elder. Most of the time, the elder will
be the older of them, but it does not necessarily have to
be the case. But then it even goes further. It says, let all
of you be subject one to another. Submit yourself one to another.
If elders are not intent on having their way and they submit to
others, and all of us are doing this, then there's no fighting
among the saints. But then we get to this statement.
Elders are warned about this, and this is good doctrine for
all of us, not just elders. But if we do not do the things
that God's word tells us to do, then we will be resisted by God. Because it will be pride that
we have and not humility. Now I want to talk about humility
some. Although I will have to say, I don't know a whole lot
about humility. I do know about pride though.
It kind of ekes out on me often. But this says to put on humility. The words are be clothed with
humility. That means to engirdle oneself,
put this on, humility. And I like that part of this
meaning for humility, it means loneliness of mind. Humility is loneliness of mind,
and I'll get back to this in a minute, not pride. And let me tell you, all of us
have this pride. There are times when we think
we are humble and we are not. I think I've said this before,
but we can be prideful in our poverty. Something like this
is pride in poverty. I know some things because or
I'm better than someone else because I've learned to do without.
You can be proud of your riches, something like this. I have given
so much to feed the poor. What does the scripture say about
this kind of thing specifically? And listen, poor and rich can
also have this kind of thought. I am something because I give
to feed the poor. What does scripture say in 1
Corinthians 13 three? And though I bestow all my goods
to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned and
have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. You can see the common
issue with both of these statements because they start with their
statement, both of them, with I. Pride considers oneself in
esteem because of whatever they have done or how they have done
it. Humility does not do this. Humility does this or thinks
this or says this. He is everything. I matter not. Remember that meaning of humility?
By myself, I am alone. Loneliness of mind. I must have
him or I will be forever by myself. And that's what this is talking
about. Pride is not loneliness of mind.
It is thinking you are full in yourself. That's why you start
out with I all the time. as I have and not others. What
does the scripture say about pride as it concerns God? Psalms
10 4 says, the wicked through the pride of his countenance
will not seek after God. God is not in all his thoughts. When there is pride, you are
not looking to God, you are looking to yourself. God hates pride,
Proverbs 8, 13. The fear of the Lord is to hate
evil. Pride and arrogancy and the evil way and the froward
mouth do I hate. He hates pride because with man
there is no place for pride. Man drinks up iniquity like water. Man does not seek God on his
own because he has pride. If pride wells up in you, cut
it off. Because with pride there will
soon be trouble, Proverbs 16, 18. Pride goeth before destruction,
and an haughty spirit before a fall. We all, by nature, have pride.
By nature, we all think we are something when we are not. None
would seek after God because of our pride. But God be thanked
some, he has been pleased to humble. What else do we read
about pride? You all know this, Daniel 4,
37. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, pray and extol and honor the king
of heaven, all whose works are truth and his ways judgment,
and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. If any man or woman are to commune
with God, he must abase them. God can humble any who are full
of pride, and we all were full of pride at one time. God certainly
has the ability to abase a proud man or woman. The only question,
is he willing to abase a man or a woman? So that they might
seek him. Nebuchadnezzar found this out.
He thought what he had was all of his doing. He thought men
should worship him because of what he had done. God showed
Nebuchadnezzar that God gave him everything he had, and it
was him, God, that should be worshiped. When God did this,
and it was only after the working of God did he do this, but once
God did this to him, he was then able to seek the face of God
and worship and extol him. Pride is an I, I, I thing. Just like the Pharisee did. I thank God I'm not like this
man. He thought he was full in himself. He thought he had it because
of himself. He did not see that he was nothing
and that God is all. But the publican, being abased
by God, did not even look up. He had loneliness of mind. He
thought, left to myself, I can do nothing and will be condemned
of God. But he is everything, and it
is he that must propitiate me, for I can do nothing of myself. Now, there's something else here
about this that I want to point out. And if you would turn over
with me to Philippians 2. Philippians 2, we kind of talked
about some of these things yesterday. Philippians 2, 1-11. Philippians 2. If there be therefore
any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship
of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy,
that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord,
of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife
or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind. Let each esteem other
better than themselves. Look not every man on his own
things, but every man also on the things of others. let this
mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in
the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God
but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of
a servant and was made in the likeness of men and being found
in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath
highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things
in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and
that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to
the glory of God the Father. We read there in Philippians
2.3, let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness
of mind. That's humility. When we are amongst God's people,
whether we be elders or not, we are among God's heritage. It is God who has built his church. His church, his body has many
members, and each of them have a place and purpose. So this
humility is first to God, for without him, we can do nothing. But God, as Lord over his heritage,
has created his church. We should with humility think
about our brethren, behave to our brethren, knowing that we
cannot do this without each other. God has ordained it so. If one
suffer, we all suffer. I mean, we can think about this
just as ourselves. Some of us have operations and
stuff. When you have one member that's
hurting, it kind of messes you up, makes you struggle a little
bit. If one suffer, we all suffer.
I do these things knowing that I have to have you. God has given
each of you to this assembly. If you were not here, I would
be preaching to myself, and there would be no edification to that,
because the body would be maimed. Again, you have a missing part. So we are to look to one another,
look to each other's needs. If pride starts to rise its ugly
head, cut off that member and put on humility. We can only
do this when we see Christ. When we see that one who is holy,
who came down and humbled himself and was a servant, and was humbled
even to the death of the cross. Then we see just how prideful
we are. We can see that former pride
and that pride that is in my flesh, where we were at one time
telling God, no, I will not have this man reign over me. But in
mercy, he abased us. He humiliated us, caused us to
be in loneliness of mind, so that we look to him for everything. It goes on to tell us of this
in 1 Peter 5, 6, and 7. Humble yourselves, therefore,
under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due
time, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. God will supply everything we
need, not want, but what we need. He knows what we need before
we know what we need. And he provides what we need
before we even ask. There is a reason we do these
things that are told us in scripture. It's not just God wants to tell
us what to do here. He tells us these things because
he knows what we need. He is compassionate to his people,
and he gives us his word to comfort us and to teach us by his spirit. It behooves us to do these things,
in other words, because of what it says next in verse eight.
Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil as a
roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Peter had
a little understanding of this, didn't he? What did he say when
Christ was about to go to the cross? And I'm going to kind
of paraphrase this, I didn't look it up. No, not me, Lord. I'll fight with you to the death.
What happened next? I swear I don't know that man. When Christ said, without him
we can do nothing, He meant it. So what are we to do? What does
it tell us next? Verse 7, casting all your care
upon Him, for He careth for you. No matter what you see or think
about what's going on around you, God is in control of it
all. And it's all for the good of
His people, those chosen in Christ. He created everything and everything
was created for him and by him all things consist or are held
together. But we are to be sober and vigilant
and we should resist the devil. But how are we to resist the
devil? It says, steadfast in the faith. Steadfast means to be stiff,
like this. And what is this saying? The
faith is a gift of God. And that faith looks to the gospel
proclaimed. Again, it is our food. We are
to stand fast, stiff. I'm not hearing anything else
but the gospel. I'm not looking to anything else
but the gospel, which is Jesus Christ and him crucified. I'm
not looking to anyone else but Jesus Christ. And then Peter
says, keep this in mind. You are not alone in these trials,
these afflictions of the gospel. The same thing happens to all
of your brethren in the world. We were talking about that yesterday,
son. One brother can relate to another
brother because we've all been through these afflictions. Maybe
the circumstances are different, but the afflictions are common
to all of God's people. We can all fellowship, all those
who have this, like precious faith. We can all fellowship
in the gospel of his dear son, Jesus Christ. What else is worth
having in common? Nothing can compare to the Lord
Jesus Christ. I've said this before in a lot
of my messages. We do do things. As Earl used
to say, we do not sit on our little stools of do nothing.
We do do things. But we know that if we do do
things, it's not us that did it, but Christ in us. Read verse
10. But the God of all grace who
hath humbled, but the God of all grace who hath called us
unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ, after that ye have suffered
a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. Notice what it says here, after
you have suffered a while, God will use these afflictions, whatever
they might be, to cause you to stand fast, stiff. He causes us to be this way because
in these afflictions and through his gospel, we see that our only
hope is in Jesus Christ. We, as time goes on, we begin
to stiffen and to stiffen and to stiffen. so that you cannot
get us to move away from Jesus Christ, we stiffen by his working. Even ourselves, although this
flesh may try, God will stiffen us so that we stand fast in the
gospel of his dear son. I like the thought of God taking
care of me. What about you? Because I know
I cannot take care of myself. Where does that leave us? If
he does it all, then I would have to say, If he does it all,
then why would we say I did this or I did that? God is the first
cause of all things. If I did anything, it was God
working in me to will and to do of his good pleasure. So he
gets all the glory. Had God not chose me and his
son, I would not have chose him. Had Christ not died for me, I
would still be in my sin. Had Christ not imparted or given
me life, I would still be dead in trespasses and in sin. If
he had not given me faith and sent me his gospel, I would not
believe him and I would die in my sin. So what are we left to
say? I, I, I? No. To him be the glory and dominion
forever and ever. And all of us can say with Peter,
amen. Dear Lord, God calls us to see,
dear Lord. Humiliate us, humble us, dear
Lord. We can do nothing without you,
dear Lord. Give us strength to go about, dear Lord. Help us
to comfort one another, to look to others as we sojourn through
this world, dear Lord. Calls us to keep our eyes on
Christ and so being we can Go through these trials, these afflictions,
dear Lord, and be comforted and have joy, have joy. And we will
be blessed in all these things we ask in Christ's name, amen.