Sermon Cloud

Men Under Authority

 

1 Peter 5:1-4

 

Grace Fellowship Church

 

March 25, 2007

 

 

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

 

 

Introduction

 

 When I was a new Christian I was very excited about church.  The church that I was a part of was an active and busy church and I jumped right in to all of the activities because I wanted to serve the Lord.  I went soul winning, worked the bus route, helped with the youth.  If I could help with it I did and could not wait to get started.  I was busy and was kept busy right up until the time that I went back to college.  When I moved, the church that I started attending and joined was one that was in desperate need of helpers and I wanted to help.  All along I never questioned anything about the church or its activities.  I thought that the way they did church was the way it was supposed to be and so I went along happily and faithfully. 

 

One of the first thoughts that should have entered my mind was, “Why do we do what we do in church?”  Having been converted in a fundamental, independent Baptist church I should have questioned some things there.  Like why did the pastor have to yell the entire time that he preached when he had a perfectly good microphone?  Why were we baptizing all these people that we never saw again?  Why are we only supposed to use the King James Version?  What did people do before 1611?  Why are all the other churches in our area our enemies?  Are they really all apostates?

 

I think for the most part people are a lot like me and tend to go along with what is there until they discover something else is a possibility.  If you like ice cream and only think there is vanilla ice cream and then you discover that someone has invented strawberry cheesecake ice cream you get pretty excited. 

 

As you can already tell by the reading of the text this morning we are going to be dealing with the subject of elders.  Over the next few Sundays, as we finish our study of 1 Peter, we are going to explore the duties of the elders of the church and the duties of the church to the elders. 

 

This all has to do with church government and leadership.  We must ask the question and find the answer concerning God’s design for church government.  Many of you are familiar with the various forms of church authority.  If you come from any baptistic background you are probably very familiar with congregational government and Robert’s Rules of Order.  Basically a congregational form of government works like a very small democracy.  The people will have monthly or quarterly business meetings and people will suggest things and the people will either vote yes, no, or abstain.  Things are done by the majority rule. 

 

Another popular form of church government these days is the CEO style where the pastor and the staff basically run the show through hand picked committees.  And of course there are those pastors who have no accountability at all. 

 

Some churches of course have a long line of hierarchy that oversees districts and areas and ultimately churches. 

 

So in the midst of all this confusion, what is the biblical mandate for church leadership?  What can we draw from Scripture that will tell us how we are to organize and govern the church?

 

For the sake of our study let’s establish that we are indeed Protestants and as Protestants we know that the only head of the church is Christ Himself.  Colossians 1:18 says that Christ is the Head of the church.  Therefore we have no earthly head such as the Roman Catholic’s have in the pope. 

 

So with Christ firmly established as the head of the church universal and the church local what can we declare from Scripture as to how Christ desires to have His church ordered?

 

We at Grace Fellowship Church believe that the God ordained form of church leadership is a plurality of elders.  But where do we get that from?  Are we correct in that thinking?  Why isn’t a congregational government where everyone votes and has an equal say a better way of doing things? 

 

Let’s trace the term elder through the Scripture to find out what God has said concerning this role. For the sake of time this will not be exhaustive.  It may be exhausting but I promise I will not cover every relevant text.  The word in Greek for elder is the word presbuteros.  You will recognize that word by the denominations called the Presbyterians.  That term simply means that they recognize the biblical authority in church as the elders.  The word, presbuteros, can simply mean an older man.  This is in the sense of “respect your elders.”  As a matter of fact I have heard people in church refer to the folks over 60 as the elders.  What we have to understand is that context will always tell us what the word means.  It does not always refer to an older person nor does the word always refer to the office in the church.  Context dictates that. 

 

In the Old Testament we run across this word, presbuteros, in the Greek translation of the Old Testament translating the Hebrew word zaqin.  Basically the Hebrew word zaqin functions like the Greek word presbuteros which functions like the English word elder.  The word can mean an older person or a person of authority. 

 

So for our study lets simply look at those passages where it denotes men who are in authority. 

 

In the book of Exodus we find Moses being sent to Egypt to bring out the nation of Israel from slavery into the promised land.  God gave Moses orders and the first thing he was to do was meet with the elders of Israel .  Listen to Exodus 3:16.

"Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, "I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.

 

 

These elders were to accompany Moses into the throne room of Pharaoh.  These elders in the book of Exodus also functioned in spiritual oversight.  Listen to Exodus 12:21.

Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb.

 

They were to oversee the Passover feast and ensure that it was done properly by those under their authority. 

 

In Exodus 18 Moses father in law tells him that the burden of judging the Israelites was too much and so he was to set men over them to judge in his stead.  The major problems were to come to him but everything else was to be handled by those whom he had given the authority to do so. 

 

This organization of elders of Israel was carried right over into New Testament times as we see the Sanhedrin, the Jewish governing body, in action.  If you read through the Gospels you will find that the elders were for the most part opposed to the Lord Jesus.

 

The church is then established and the apostles are going out spreading the Gospel.  The Jerusalem church is scattered and now there are churches spread across the known world.  What are these churches going to do for leadership?  There is no satellite TV to beam Paul or Peter’s Sunday morning sermon from Jerusalem to Iconium.  Someone in the church had to exercise authority, preach and teach, and to handle issues arising in the church.  So what did the Apostles do?  After all like Moses, they could not handle all of the issues at every church. 

 

In Acts 15 we read of the dispute over Gentiles coming into the church.  Did they need to adhere to the Law of Moses?  In essence did they need to convert to Judaism and then move to Christianity?  Guess who gathered to make that decision?  The apostles and the elders of the churches. 

 

In the New Testament epistles we find Paul instructing both Timothy and Titus to appoint elders for the church in every city where there was a church.  Titus was in Crete and that place did not have a reputation for having very good people.  As a matter of fact we read in Titus 1:10-13, ¹⁰ For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, ¹¹ who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. ¹² One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." ¹³ This testimony is true.

 

So from the former liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons Titus was to appoint elders.  Which should keep our elders humble.

 

  Listen to Titus 1:5-9 to see what Titus was to look for.  For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, ⁶ namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. ⁷ For the overseer must be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, ⁸ but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, ⁹ holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.

 

These men were to lead and feed the flock of God.  So when we get to our text this morning there are some very specific instructions for the elders of every church and specifically for the elders of Grace Fellowship Church . 

 

I will not take the time to recount chapters one through four this morning but understand that all Peter has said thus far has been building up to this point when he begins his final instructions in the final chapter of this Epistle.  Peter has talked to the church as a whole, he has talked to the slaves, he has talked to the women, he has talked to the men and now he sets his sights on the elders of the churches in Asia Minor . 

 

These verses seem very brief for the task that the elders are responsible for.  Although these verses are indeed brief, they are loaded with picturesque words and phrases that the elders would understand from the Old Testament and from what was written of the New Testament at this time. 

 

We are going to examine this text a little bit like a sandwich these next Sundays.  So this morning we will look specifically at verse 1 and then a phrase from verse 4 as our two points.  Next week will be the meat of the sandwich. 

 

PNP

 

This morning from those verses I want you, the elders and the congregation, to see that there are two places from which the elders of the church get their authority.        

1.  The elders get their authority from the Word of the Lord.

2.  The elders get their authority from the Lord of the Word. 

 

Purpose

 

My purpose in preaching this passage this morning is two fold.  First it is so that myself and these two men that God has so graciously privileged me to serve alongside and you the people of Grace Fellowship Church will understand where our authority comes from.  By understanding where our authority comes from we will right off the bat be better equipped to lead and feed the flock that the Lord has so graciously allowed us to oversee.  The second purpose for preaching this on Sunday morning is because as a congregation, we need to understand what the elders are to do and the task that God has given them. 

 

The task of elder is not to be taken lightly.  It is a frightful position.  It is a position that will encore a stricter judgment.  Hebrews 13:17 warns both elders and congregation of this.  Listen as I read.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

 

RPNP

 

So with a sense of gravity and humble obedience to the Word, let’s look at these two places from which the elders of the church get their authority.       

 

1.  The elders get their authority from the Word of the Lord.

 

Look with me at verse 1.

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:

 

 

In order to establish the authority with which he speaks, Peter gives two characteristics in which he has in common with these elders. 

First he calls himself a fellow elder.  He reminds them that he is in a similar position as they are as one who has authority in the church.  He identifies himself as one who leads and feeds the sheep. 

 

In John 21 after the resurrection of Christ, the Lord Jesus reinstates Peter as an Apostle.  He had earlier denied the Lord and now the Lord commands him to feed and tend the sheep that belong to Christ.  Jesus told Peter that if he indeed loved Him he would tend and feed the Lambs. 

 

The next characteristic that Peter had in common with this group of elders is in the future.  Look again at verse 1. 

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:

 

 

One of the consistent themes in Peter’s letter is this idea of a future revealing of the glory of Christ.  He reminds the elders that he also is an elder and also will participate with them in this revelation of Christ’s glory.  These are two things that Peter and the elders of the churches in Asia Minor had in common. 

 

But there was a separation.  There was a distinction between Peter and the elders of the churches as well as between Peter and the elders of Grace Fellowship.  Look at verse one again. 

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:

 

 

By this statement, a witness of the sufferings of Christ, Peter is reminding them of his apostolic authority.  Just like Paul, Peter wrote letters to the churches that were God- breathed.  These letters did not become the Word of the Lord, they are from their initial writing the Word of the Lord. 

 

So the first place that the elders of any congregation receive their authority is from the apostolic authority of the New Testament.   Therefore as elders of the church, Doug, Mark, and myself have no authority other than when we stand on the truth of the Word of God.  When we leave the authority of Scripture, we no longer posses any authority what so ever. 

If we leave the authority of Scripture, be sure that we will endure the wrath and judgment of God.  If we decide that we are above Scripture and can make important decisions apart from the Word of God, then we have abandoned our mantle of authority and we have become fools. 

 

In and of ourselves we have no authority.  All of our authority is linked to the Word of the Lord. 

 

And what is the most observable characteristic of any man aspiring to the office of elder is his knowledge of the Word and his ability to teach the Word.  Remember Titus 1:5-9?

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, ⁶ namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. ⁷ For the overseer must be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, ⁸ but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, ⁹ holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.

 

 

One of the most important functions of a New Testament elder is to refute those who contradict the truth.  Therefore he must be a man of courage.  He cannot shrink back under intense pressure.  And the only way this does not happen is when he understands that he is under the authority of the Word of God. 

 

This is why Grace Fellowship has elders.  It is because this is the type of church government that the New Testament teaches and the Old Testament bears witness to.   

 

But this exhortation particularly is not just for the elders.  It is true that the elders have a different task than the membership of the church but the membership comes under the authority of the Word of God as well.  So it is not enough for us to just have a few under the apostolic authority of the Word of God but we need everyone under that authority from the oldest to the youngest. 

 

The reason we all must be under the authority of the Word of God is because of the day that we live in.  We live in a day of false teaching.  There is much that passes through the radio, your computer speakers, your iPod earbud, and your television that is very well packaged.  It sounds good on the surface.  It may even sound biblical because it is neatly packaged with some Scripture.  You have to remember that heresy is not always overt and delivered by someone who looks like a devil.  Most of the time they are neat and well kept, handsome or pretty, and most of the time very well spoken. 

 

In the first century false teachers would infiltrate the church.  Today they still operate that way except the false teachers make use of the media outlets and so it is more sophisticated.  It is packaged in such a way that it will pull on your heartstrings, give you warm fuzzies, and if you are not biblically informed then you can be led astray. 

 

Not too long ago two elders from the Mormon Church sat in our living room trying to convince me of my need to convert to the LDS church.  They were nice and pleasant young men who did not understand the Bible.  They only understood their prepackaged sales pitch.  When taken off the subject and forced to deal with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ their heretical views were easily exposed.  Had I let them keep going with their testimonial time telling me how Mormonism had changed their lives and how wonderful a person they now were then they would have not heard the Gospel explained. 

 

Let me ask you church, are you biblically informed enough to talk about the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ with cult members when they knock on your door?  If not, that is why you need elders.  That is why you must be a student of the Word of God.  This is why you must be under the authority of the Word of God.

 

And my fellow elders, we must be constantly and consistently reminding ourselves that we have no authority whatsoever apart from the Word of the Lord.

 

Second, this morning I want you to see that:

 

2.  The elders get their authority from the Lord of the Word. 

 

Look with me at verse 4.    

⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

 

 

I want you to first notice that there is a boss.  Look at verse 4.  And when the chief Shepherd appears   Also notice that the Chief Shepherd is returning.  Peter has previously informed us of the judgment that is at hand.  The world will be judged.  The church will be judged.  The shepherds, the elders, of the church will be judged as well.  The Chief Shepherd is none other than the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

I read a lot of articles on preaching and teaching.  I find many of them helpful and I find some plain misguided at best.  The misguided ones are always calling for preachers and teachers to teach like Jesus taught.  That sounds good on the surface but that is not what preachers and teachers are called to do.  We are not to mimick the style of the Lord.  Rather we are to teach what Jesus taught.  That is the task that is large enough. 

 

I say that to say this, we as elders or shepherds as we see in this verse are called not to teach like Jesus but rather to shepherd like Jesus.  He is the authority.  He is the example par excellance.  John 10:11-15 is the classic text on Jesus Christ as the good shepherd.  Listen as I read the Words of our Lord.

¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

 

 

The Lord Jesus also had compassion for the sheep.  Listen to Matthew 9:36.

Seeing the people , He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

 

 

The reason the church needs elders who are biblical shepherds is because the flock without a shepherd will be just what the Lord Jesus saw; they will be distressed and dispirited.

 

The elder who is under the authority of the chief elder/shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, will lead the flock as the Lord leads the entire flock.  The elder under authority of the Chief elder will lay down his life when called upon for the sheep.  He will have compassion for the sheep.  He will exercise loving and careful instruction to the sheep.  By the way, sheep follow their shepherds.  That is the way God designed sheep.  So the shepherds have the responsibility to lead a godly life in public and in private. 

 

All of this is because we as elders of Grace Fellowship Church are under the authority of the Word of the Lord and we are under the authority of the Lord of the Word. 

 

There are prime examples in Scripture of shepherds and elders who did not live up to their God called and ordained task.  Jeremiah 23:1-4 is an example. 

"Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!" declares the LORD. ² Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: "You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds," declares the LORD. ³ "Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. ⁴ "I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the LORD.

 

 

Ezekiel 34:1-10 is another.

¹ Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, ² "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel . Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? ³ "You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. ⁴ "Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. ⁵ "They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered. ⁶ "My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.""'
⁷ Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: ⁸ "As I live," declares the Lord GOD, "surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; ⁹ therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: ¹⁰ 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep . So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.""'

 

 

There is punishment for the wicked shepherd. 

 

Conclusion

 

We have seen that elders only have authority as long as they are under the authority of the Word of the Lord and the Lord of the Word.

 

Truly, the life of an elder is a difficult life.  He must be constantly on guard.  He must be watching his own life, studying the Word of the Lord, submitting to it and the Lord of that Word, and he must be on guard for the flock.  He must know the sheep that the Chief Shepherd has placed in his temporary care.  He must be aware of what is happening in their lives and be spiritually discerning to know how they are doing spiritually.  When he discovers that they are injured he is to bind up the wound.  He is to know what medication to use so the injury can heal.  He is to look out for wolves in sheep’s clothing that secretly come in bringing destructive heresies.  He must know how and be courageous enough to stand up against error and refute it. 

 

This is a difficult task.  This is a task that a man must be qualified for and called to.  A man who is not called by the chief shepherd will amount to nothing but a hireling and will run away at the first sign of trouble. 

 

Shepherds of Grace Fellowship church, we need a word of warning.  What is consistent in Scripture is that as soon as a church gets off the ground Satan will attack it.  There are numerous ways that he will do so.  First through false teachers who will lead the sheep astray.  So we have to be obsessively careful of the doctrine of those who teach.  Satan will also try to sow seeds of discord among the membership.  We must be on guard and watchful for that.  When we see that happening we must be courageous enough to step in and put a stop to it. 

 

And unfortunately, sheep will often stray from the fold.  When that happens they are in grave danger.  They must be rounded up and brought back.  They must be reinstated into the church.  It has to be done. 

 

The job of an undershepherd is difficult at best.  It is all consuming.  The elder can not be so consumed with the world that he neglects the sheep.  If this happens he is no longer fit to be a shepherd.  And just so you know, there are times in the life of a shepherd where he needs correcting. 

 

I realize that I have painted a picture that may cause some here to feel sorry for the shepherds.  What a difficult life they lead.  Let me tell you that the greatest privilege that I have ever known is not in any award or diploma but is the fact that God not only called me to His kingdom, but that He also has entrusted me with the task of shepherding His sheep.  I count it a privilege to stand before you and teach you the Word of God on a weekly basis.  I count it an honor to know each of you and to get to spend time with you. 

 

As I close I want you to see that there is a reward for a faithful elder.  The faithful elder will be one who tends the flock of God under the authority of the Word of the Lord and under the authority of the Lord of the Word.  Look at verse 4 again.

⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

 

 

Let’s pray.