1 Rev. William J. Shields St. Mark Lutheran Church, Lindenhurst, Illinois The Fifth Sunday of Easter May 18, 2014 Second Lesson 1 Peter 5:1-14 Sermon Series 1 Peter Part 10 Stand Firm In Your Faith 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: 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. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. Grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Meriam Ibrahim is a name that you probably don t recognize, but she s been in the news this past week. Meriam is a 26-year-old Christian woman who lives in Sudan. She s been married for three years to a Sudanese Christian man named Daniel Wani. They have an 18-month-old son and Meriam is eight months pregnant with their second child. But this week, Meriam Ibrahim was sentenced to death by a judge in Khartoum.
2 The problem is that Meriam s father, who abandoned his family when Meriam was a little girl, is a Muslim. Under Sharia Law, any children of a Muslim father are considered to be Muslims. This means that, under the law, Meriam is a Muslim who has converted to Christianity. That is illegal it s called apostasy and the sentence is death. She also faces 100 lashes with a whip for adultery, because the court does not recognize the validity of her marriage. The judge says that Meriam must give birth to her child, then receive her 100 lashes, and then be executed by hanging. The only thing that might save her is that her story has gotten out to the world and international pressure might force the judge to back down. But Meriam could have escaped the sentence altogether. You see, before sentencing, the judge gave Meriam three days to renounce her Christian faith and return to Islam. But she refused. She said, very calmly, I am not a Muslim. I am a Christian. Faced with the prospect of torture and death, Meriam Ibrahim stood firm. She would not deny her Lord. The title of my sermon this morning is Stand Firm In Your Faith. Peter s final words in this letter encourage the people of God to stand firm, even in the midst of a sinful Roman culture, even with the storm clouds of persecution looming on the horizon. And these closing words still ring true today for Christians all over the world. Whether we are enduring true physical persecution, as are the Christians of Sudan, or whether we are enduring the daily struggles of living in an American culture that is in rebellion against God, we need to hear these words from Peter. We need to be challenged by them. We need to stand firm. Peter s final words to the Christians can be divided into two parts. The first part is directed at church leaders and the second part is directed at the whole church. So let s look at that first part I. Peter s Challenge To The Leaders In 1 Peter 5:1-2, Peter says, 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: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight. In these verses, Peter uses A. Three Words That Describe A Christian Leader First, Peter uses the word 1. Elder The Greek word is presbuterion. This is a word that stresses the spiritual maturity of a leader. Some people are called or elected to the position of elder in a Church. Anyone who serves in such a position should have a strong personal faith and make a regular habit of spending time in the Scriptures and in prayer. But there are also many informal elders in a strong church. These informal elders are men and women who also have spiritual maturity. And they are often the
3 backbone of many of the important ministries of the church, even if they are not serving in an official capacity. So don t just think of the elders as someone else someone on the Council or leading a committee. Think about how you might grow spiritually, through regular Scripture reading and prayer, so that you can bring spiritual wisdom and maturity to whatever ministry that you are involved in at the Church. Second, Peter uses the word 2. Shepherd The Greek word is poimen. This is a word that stresses the ability to care for the flock of God, especially by feeding them the truth which comes from the word of God. Poimen can also be translated as pastor, and in our day we tend to think of the called Pastor as the primary teacher of the Word of God in the Church. But the truth is, anyone who leads a Bible Study, or teaches a Sunday School class, or helps with Vacation Bible School, is functioning as a poimen a shepherd. And I want to take that one step further. If you are a Mom or a Dad or a Grandparent, teaching the faith to a child at home and showing that child how to pray, then you are serving in the role of a shepherd. We need committed shepherds in our church and in our homes if we are going to pass on the faith to the next generation, if we are going to stand firm in this world that is drifting away from God. And then third, Peter uses the word 3. Overseer The Greek word is episkopos. An overseer is someone who has a concern for the overall health of the Church. An overseer concerns himself or herself with the organizational structure of the Church so that the elders and pastors and teachers can take care of the spiritual and emotional needs of the people. When I think of overseers I think of Church Council members, and Committee members, and members of the staff, who all have the ministry of oversight, either over the whole Church, or over their specific areas of concern. And we need more people to step up and be overseers, jumping in and getting involved in some ministry of the Church, so that this Church can be strong and vital and growing. And then, to all of these leaders B. Peter Gives Three Instructions First he says 1. Lead With A Willing Spirit He says, in verse 2, that Church leaders should lead, Not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you. One of the most difficult challenges that any Church faces is the need for volunteers. Right now, we have people on our committees who are excited, and have ideas, and are ready to do things. But they need help. We have Prison Ministry, and St. Mark Saints, and VBS, and Worship Technology, and Youth
4 Group, and PADS, and Stephen Ministry, and the Nursery. If you have a willing spirit, we ll find a place to use your gifts. Peter says, Lead With A Willing Spirit. Peter also instructs the leaders of the Church to 2. Lead With Integrity He says in verse 2 that leaders should lead, Not for shameful gain, but eagerly. Peter knew that there were many people out in the world who were more than willing to use religion to get rich or famous or powerful. And he was saying to the Christians, It should not be so with you. Leaders in the Christian Church should display absolute honesty and integrity in all of their work, whether they are part of the paid staff or they are volunteers. Everything that you do in the name of St. Mark Lutheran Church you do in the name of Jesus Christ. Peter says, Lead With Integrity. And then a third thing that Peter says to the leaders of the Church is that they should 3. Lead By Example Here s how he says it in verse 3: Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. My good old Uncle Ole learned recently about what it means to be an example in the Church. He was elected to the Church Council a couple of months ago at his church up there in Minnesota. And just before the May meeting, Pastor Inqvist took him aside and said, Ole, could I have a word with you? Ole said, Sure. Pastor Inqvist said, I hate to bring this up, Ole. But as a Council member, you know that have to set a good example, right? Ole said, Yah, I know dat. Pastor said, Well, Hannah Larson tells me that, just the other night, your pickup truck was parked in front of the bar for several hours. Ole said, But I wasn t in da bar. Sven and I went to da Twins game together, and we met uptown. I left my car dere, by da bar, and Sven drove to da game. Pastor Inqvist said, Well, that may be so, Ole. But now that you re on the Council, you have to be careful about stuff like that. Hannah saw your truck there all night, so what was she supposed to think? Ole said, Okay Pastor, I understand. Later that night, Lena was waiting up for Ole when he came home from the meeting. But instead of pulling up in his truck, Ole came walking up to the front door. Lena met him at the door and said, Ole, what s da deal? Where s your truck? Ole said, I decided to park it in front of Hannah Larson s house for da night. I think Ole kind of missed the point of his talk with Pastor Inqvist. But in truth, maybe Hannah and Pastor Inqvist missed the point as well. When Peter talks about the leaders of the Church leading by example, he s not talking about just keeping up appearances. Peter is talking about setting an example in terms of love and kindness and grace. Peter doesn t want leaders to be domineering over others, demanding their own way and forcing their own will. He wants leaders to treat people in such a way that those people know that the leader has their best interests at heart. When leaders lead
5 with love, people respect them, and people follow them, and the Church is strong and healthy. Peter says, Lead By Example. So those are Peter s final words for the leaders of the Church as he closes out this letter. He calls upon the Leaders to be spiritually mature Elders, loving Shepherds of the flock, and faithful Overseers of the business of the Church. And he urges them to Lead with Willing Spirits, to Lead with Integrity, and to Lead by Loving Example. Now, Peter turns his attention to all the people of the Church. If a Church is going to stand strong in the faith, it is important to have faithful leaders. But faithful leaders are only part of the equation. Peter knew that the true measure of a Church was the faithfulness of the people in that Church. When the whole Church grows in faith together, that is when we can have a powerful effect on the culture. That is when we can make an impact for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So Peter s final words are for all the people of the Church. He says four things in these final verses, and I m going to call them II. Four Words Of Encouragement For The Church Word number one is A. Be Humble My Uncle Ole always says that the thing he is most proud of in his life is his incredible humility. Once again, I don t think that Ole really gets it. In verse 6 of our text Peter says, Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you. So many problems could be overcome in the Church if we all had an extra measure of humility. In the Beatitudes, in Matthew 5, Jesus says, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. But I don t know why we always translate it that way. The English word meek has the wrong connotation. When I hear meek I think wimpy. And that s definitely not what Jesus was talking about. One of my Greek professors suggested that a better word would be teachable or trainable. In other words, Jesus is saying, Blessed are those who are humble enough to be teachable. Blessed are those who are humble enough that they don t think that they know everything already. Blessed are those who humbly submit to God, and listen to what other people have to say, and continue to grow in knowledge and faith until the day they die. Peter says, Be Humble The second word of encouragement for the Church is B. Be Fearless Peter says in verse 7, [Cast] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Now I realize that this is not an easy thing to do. But think of it in this way. The more you worry, the less you are trusting in God. Even if you are going through difficult times, worrying about those difficulties does not make things better. In fact, it makes
6 things worse. The opposite of anxiety is faith. And when you have faith, God will give you peace and calm in the midst of the storms. A few weeks ago, I had a chance to meet some friends from Sudan. They were visiting the US, and one Saturday, Lisa and I drove down to Elgin to see them. I hadn t seen them in more than a year and a half, since Bob and I made our last trip to Khartoum. At the time, I told you about the narrow escape that Bob and I had, just getting on that plane and out of the country as the security forces were looking for us at the airport. But Mimi, whom Lisa and I talked to a couple of weeks ago, gave me some new information about that day. She said that one of the Muslim converts, one who had been very involved in the conferences in Khartoum, had apparently been an informant for the government. She believes that he was the one who tipped off the police about what was going on, and told them about the two Christian teachers from America. We were in real danger that day of being arrested and being detained for who knows how long. As I look back on that night, and those uncertain moments at the airport, I wonder why I wasn t more frightened at the time. In fact, I don t remember being frightened at all. Part of it was that I was just following Bob s lead. I think Bob would have the same expression on his face whether he was at a funeral or he had just won the lottery. But I think that the main reason I wasn t feeling any fear was because God had given me a sense of calm. I felt this assurance that, no matter what happened, it was going to be God s will. And I was able to just give the situation up to him. It was a fearlessness that did not come from me. It came from God. Peter says that God truly cares for us. Therefore, we can give him all of our anxieties. Peter encourages us to Be Fearless. The third word of encouragement from Peter is C. Be Watchful Peter says, in verse 8, Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. James Dobson tells the story about when he and his son Ryan were in Africa together. Ryan was about 10 years old. A friend was driving them across the savanna in a jeep when they came to a fork in the road. The driver stopped and considered which road to take. Ryan offered to jump out of the truck, and run to the top of the next hill, and see which direction the two roads went. But the driver told him that he should just stay in the jeep. Finally, the driver chose a road. And when they drove over the top of that hill, they saw a large male lion on the other side of a bush, just waiting for a morsel of food to walk by. Well people, that s the way that Peter talks about the Devil. The Devil is just waiting for you to walk into a place where you should not be. He is waiting for you to do something that you should not do. He is waiting for you to fall into one of his traps. You are a tasty spiritual meal for him. There is a reason why the Bible warns against getting drunk or high. It s because, when people are drunk or high, they make some of the worst decisions of their lives. There is a reason why the Bible warns about sexual sin. It s because sexual sin
7 rots away your soul and destroys marriages and families. There is a reason why the Bible tells us to forgive and not hold grudges. It s because grudges ruin relationships and turn us into sour, angry, moody people. There is a reason why the Bible warns us not to be greedy. It s because money can easily take over your life and become your God. These are just a few of the ways that the Devil traps us and devours us. And Peter says, I don t want you to fall into the hands of the Devil. Stay close to God in worship and prayer. Know the truth by reading and studying his Word. Keep your eyes open for the traps of Satan. Peter says, Be Watchful. And then the fourth and final word of encouragement that Peter has for the Church is D. Be Firm Peter says, in verse 9, Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. Peter knew that the people who would read this letter were suffering people. Not only were they suffering the normal difficulties of human existence, the same difficulties that we still face today, but they were also suffering persecution from the world because of their faith in Jesus Christ. And he encourages them here. He says, Stand firm. This life is not all that there is. In fact, the time that we spend on this earth is only a tiny, tiny part of our lives. If we are faithful to Jesus Christ in this world, we will spend an eternity with him in Heaven, in that place where there will be no grief or crying or pain. Peter says, in verses 10-11, After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. That is what we hope for. That is what we wait for. And I m sure that that is what Meriam Ibrahim had on her mind when she stood calmly before a Sudanese judge a judge who held her earthly life in his hands and said to him, I am a Christian. May God give you that kind of faith in the midst of your struggles. May you hold fast to the Cross of Jesus Christ and Stand Firm In Your Faith. Amen and Amen.