1 Peter 5:1
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 about to give a message to the elders, those that are older in faith.

• They have a similar faith to Peter’s as he is also an elder.
• This word elder could have signified him as simply being older or it could have been his position as an elder in the church.
• Nonetheless, he is about to exhort them, to call them to a certain responsibility.

He says that he is “a witness of the sufferings of Christ.”

• This is one of the experiences of the elders at the very least.
• What does it mean to be a witness? In the Greek it is written “martys.”
• Peter didn’t just witness and evangelize and tell others. But he also suffered for the sake of Christ.
• This is the type of elder that Peter is referring to. Not just someone who has a position in the church. But someone who knows by experience what it means to be an elder.

1 Peter 5:2
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;

The first thing that Peter exhorts them to do is to feed the flock of God.

• Obviously this is not talking about physical food but spiritual food. To feed the flock of God with the word of God. To help them to be born again by the word.
• To take oversight which means to look carefully or beware, to watch or look.
• The elders are to be on guard.

And then Peter makes sure that the motive that drives this is correct as well:

• “not by constraint, but willingly”
  • Which means not forced.
• “not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind”
  • Not for the sake of money either.
• However, what does it mean to have a ready mind?
• In the Greek it means with alacrity – which means with brisk and cheerful readiness.
• Other translations render it this way:
  • NIV: “but eager to serve”
  • NLT: “eager to serve God”
  • NASB: “but with eagerness”
• God wants us to have this desire to serve. It should not be from a sense of responsibility that just drives us. But God wants us to do it with cheerfulness and with eagerness.
• Could it be that many people feel constrained that they have to do it, but yet at the same time they don’t enjoy it?

As elders, or leaders, or the church we must remember to always set the right example not just by showing up but even to have the desire and eagerness in the Lord’s work. This can only be given by the Lord and not by being voted into position. How? By being born again.

1 Peter 5:3
Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

Peter continues the characteristics of the elders:

• “Neither as being lords over God’s heritage”
  • Peter counsels us to make sure that we don’t exercise dominion or control the people or church.
  • But what should we do?
• “but being ensamples to the flock”
  • To set the example, something worthy to be imitated.

1 Peter 5:4
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

Peter presents the glory that awaits those that are faithful.

• Jesus Christ will give us a crown of glory that does not fade away at the second coming.
• And it’s not that we do it for the sake of this glorious crown. But yet there is a glory and a blessing that awaits the faithful.
• Yet he reminds us that the reward is not in the present life but in the future.

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.

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder”

• Not Peter has counsel for those that are younger. To submit to them. To obey them.
• Of course, it is not blind submission. We must make sure the elder fits the mould that Peter has mentioned above.

However, it is not only that the younger needs to submit to the elder.

• “Yea, all of you be subject one to another”
• We all ought to submit ourselves to each other. The younger to the older and the older to the younger.
• To be able to reason together and not use our position as an authority.
• And in order to do that we must “be clothed with humility.”
• It takes humility to submit ourselves to one another.

“for God resisteth the proud.”

• We can have a confidence to submit ourselves to others knowing that God resists those that are proud.
• It seems like Peter has shifted his focus and gone back to those that were sinners and ungodly and those that cause suffering. As we submit to this sort of treatment by those who afflict us, we can have the assurance that God will resist them yet care for us.

“be clothed with humility”

• But how can we be humble?
• Surely that is a fruit of those that are born again.
• Pride is what comes up naturally in the human heart. But to be humble and meek, that is a gift and characteristic of God that only He can give us.

1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

If we humble ourselves, God will exalt us in due time.

• We should not strive to exalt ourselves, but let God do the exalting. This is the mind of the humble.

But what does it mean to humble ourselves “under the mighty hand of God?”

• This expression is found frequently in the Old Testament. What is it used in regard to?
• Exodus 3:19
  And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.
• Deuteronomy 3:24
  O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?
• Ezekiel 20:34
  And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
• It is used in regard to the deliverance of God’s people.
• The exodus, the conquest of Canaan and other countries, and even the rebuilding of God’s people again when coming out of captivity.
• No power on earth would be able to withstand God’s plan since it is by His mighty hand.
• And so we can afford to humble ourselves under all circumstances, because we have the assurance that we serve a mighty God and that no matter what happens, God is in total control and will exalt us in due time.

1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

As a result, knowing the God that we serve who is mighty to save, then we can have the assurance of this promise in this verse.

• We can cast all our cares and worries and troubles and anxieties on Him.
• Knowing that He cares for us.
• And that’s what we must remember when troubles come upon us. We must remember that God still cares for us. That He sees all that is happening, and yes He does care, even though we might not be delivered at that time.

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

“Be sober, be vigilant”

• So there is a part for us to play.
• Sober – to abstain from wine, to be discreet, to watch.
• Vigilant – to keep awake, to be watchful.
• This is not the first time that Peter is telling us to be sober.
  • 1 Peter 1:13
    Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
  • 1 Peter 4:7
    But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
• To be sober, we need to gird up the loins of our minds, we need to watch unto prayer.
• Why? Why it is important to be sober?

“because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion”

• Behind all the persecution and trials and troubles that are coming upon it, the devil is the main culprit.
• A roaring lion is a hungry lion. Lions roar when they are ready to hunt. They roar to frighten and stun the prey so that they can catch it.
• This is an apt figure of the devil, who, through persecution, seeks to frighten the Christians, and thus force them into apostasy.

“walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”

• He is not just waiting for his prey, but the devil is active walking around and seeking those that are weak in faith and that are not close to God.
• Job 1:7
  And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
• The devil even tells God that he is walking around the earth. He is always active.
• Hence, we must be sober, we must be watchful unto prayer.

1 Peter 5:9
Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

“Whom resist stedfast in the faith”

• Our part, we must resist him. How? With faith!
• 1 Peter 1:5
  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
• It is faith that lays hold on the power of God that will keep us and protect us from all the snares of the devil.
• This is the importance of being born again of the word of God.
• 1 Peter 1:9
  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
• The end of our faith is the salvation of our souls.
• Peter comes back to the beginning of the book to show us the foundation that he has been laying for us.
• So as we build our faith through the word of God, then every day we our helping ourselves to resist him.

“knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

• We when go through affliction we must remember that we are not the only ones who are going through this experience. There are many others who have experienced this before us and many that will come after us also.
• Not that this would be a comforting thought. But it is a reminder of the following:
  • 2 Timothy 3:12
    Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
• All will go through this. Any time we are born again, we build our faith – the devil is right there ready to attack and destroy our lives. It is a reminder to us so that we will not be surprised when it happens, but rather we should expect it.

1 Peter 5:10
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, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus”

• A reminder of what God is calling us to – to His eternal glory. It is the character of God.
• This is the first and highest calling above anything else.

“after that ye have suffered a while”

• First will come suffering. But after that? What will God make us to?
  • Perfect you.
  • Stablish you.
  • Strengthen you.
  • Settle you.
• Note that this is after suffering has come.
• Perfect you – He will make us complete, He will repair us.
• Stablish you – He will set us fast.
• Strengthen you – to confirm in spiritual knowledge and power.
• Settle you – to lay a basis for, to lay a foundation.
• God is the One that will help us to withstand the persecution and endure the suffering.
• He is the God of all grace. His grace will be sufficient for us. He will help us in every trial.

1 Peter 5:11
To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

All the glory will go back to Him as He is the One that helps us in every trial. Without Him we can do nothing.

All dominion (power and strength) will be to Him as He is the One that strengthens us through the suffering.

1 Peter 5:12
By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.

This letter was written by Silvanus. He must have been Peter’s helper or secretary of some sort.

Who is Silvanus?

• Another name of Silvanus is also Silas:
  • Acts 18:5
    And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
  • 2 Corinthians 1:19
    For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
• So Peter’s secretary and helper may have been Silas who also accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey.
• Silvanus is also mentioned in both the epistles to the Thessalonians. And he is with Paul and Timothy.
• No doubt he was a faithful man of God.
• Peter even calls him “a faithful brother.”

“testifying that this is the true grace of God”

• Peter spoke about this grace in his opening chapter.
• 1 Peter 1:10
  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you.
• Our focus in the later chapters seem to be on suffering and going through persecution. So what about this grace of God? Why is grace so important?
• 1 Peter 5:10
  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, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
• God’s grace calls us, and then will make us perfect, stablish us, strengthen and settle us.
• Grace doesn’t only just save us. It actually transforms us, it gives us strength of character and it settles us so that when trouble and trials arise, we won’t be shaken away.
• So often we think of grace as something that Jesus gives us like a ticket to heaven and that’s it. But grace is a transformative power in the life of the Christian. It sounds like the process of born again. It sounds like justification and especially sanctification. All this we have studied in 1 Peter.
• So that’s why Peter can confidently say that this is the TRUE grace of God.

1 Peter 5:13  The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

“The church that is at Babylon”

• Peter was not actually in Babylon. Tradition actually locates Peter’s closing labours to be in Rome where he ultimately suffered a violent death.
• Peter, and the early Christian’s, often used the word Babylon to refer to the current power in their day that was ruling, which was Rome, so that there would be no reason for Rome to come and attack them outrightly.
• It is important that we be careful with our words as well so that we do not unnecessarily stir up trouble.

“Marcus my son”

• Marcus also means Mark.
• This is most likely not Peter’s actual son, but son in the faith.
• He was probably Peter’s companion in the later stages of his ministry.

1 Peter 5:14  Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Just closing words.