1. Used to describe persons older than others. Romans 9:12 - The elder shall serve the younger. See also Luke 15:25, I Tim. 5:2, John 8:9.

2. Used to designate rulers among the people of Israel. Listed are just a few of the places, Matt. 21:23; 26:3,47,57,59; 27:1,3,12,20,41.

3. Used to designate rulers in the early churches. Acts 11:30 - "...which they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul." The churches knew that the elders (rulers) could be trusted to distribute the offering to the poor.

4. Used to designate ordained men, not self appointed dictators or leaders.

5. Used to designate a position of rule alongside the apostles. Below is listed all the scriptures concerning an apostle and elder. The apostles stayed in Jerusalem while the elders (pastors) are in the city where their church is located.

6. Used to designate the spiritual head or leader (ruler).

7. Used to designate an exalted place, not only in this world, but in the world to come.

1. Peter does not intend to discourage these pastor-leaders, but to gently encourage them in the task God has laid upon them.

2. He well understands that his attitude in exhorting those younger pastors will be the attitude those pastors have toward their church members, for pastors are to exhort their people, II Tim. 4:2.

1. Luke 9:27-36 - Peter was with the inner circle of three at the Transfiguration of Christ where they discussed his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.

2. Matt. 26:36-46 - Peter was with the inner circle of three in the Garden of Gethsemane, although he slept most of the time.

3. John 18:25-32 - Peter denied Christ during His trial, but he was there to witness His suffering.

1. This is speaking about the glory if God that Peter will take part in.

2. Notice that Peter is sure, not hoping.

3. Peter’s attitude is certainly different from the average "Christian" who is not real sure about spiritual matters.

1. John 21:15-17 - Jesus instructed Peter to feed the flock if he loved Him. This is a lesson Peter didn’t forget to do or to pass on to those who follow him.

2. Feed means to give them something they can grow on.

3. Among you, not under you or over you.

4. My greatest work is among the church God has placed me over.

1. John 13:3,4 – "Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; 4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself."

2. I Timothy 4:6 states, "If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained."

1. If the pastor or other elder of the church talks to you about something you are doing, it is the elders responsibility to not be disrespectful of your feelings. He may inadvertently hurt your feelings, but he must not be disrespectful of your feelings.

2. The one being talked to must realize that the elder is not saying anything to hurt him, but to help him.

3. The elder is able to see a spiritual danger a younger person cannot see because they have already been down that road, and probably made the same mistake the younger person is making or is starting to make. His advice should be heeded.

1. The elder must not take the oversight by force, but this should be his desire.

2. A person forced to do something will not do a good job. They will present a good idea in a wrong way, thus causing it to be rejected.

3. A person who is willing to do something will take pride in his work and will do a very good job. They will "work at" presenting a good idea in such a way that it will be accepted.

1. Everybody must have money to live, but we must understand that if we put God first, He will make sure we have enough money to supply our needs.

2. The elder is not working for money, but because of the principles involved, which will be a benefit to others.

1. Heb. 13:7,17 - The members responsibility is to make sure the obey the rule of their pastor.

2. This may sound like a contradiction, but it isn’t.

3. These commandments puts both parties in a position of respecting the other party.

1. II Tim. 2:5 - "And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully."

2. Many pastors will not be crowned because they have encouraged their people to follow them instead of God.

3. It is scriptural to be a "preacher follower" if that preacher is following God.

1. Elders do not expect the people to do what they say.

2. Elders do not bark out orders for the people to follow.

1. Exodus 6:8 - God said He would give Israel an heritage (inheritance).

2. Jeremiah 2:7 - Israel has made the heritage (inheritance) God gave them to become an abomination.

1. John 6:37 - "All that the father giveth me..."

2. John 10:4,5 - The sheep will follow Jesus, not a stranger.

3. Since God’s people are God’s heritage (inheritance), pastors (or anybody else) shouldn’t try to "lord" it over them.

1. Not only is the pastor to be an example, every church member is to be a good example to every other church member.

2. There is no doubt that the leaders of the church will have more influence than those who are not leaders.

3. I Cor 11:1,2 - Paul encouraged people to follow him because he was following Christ, and to mark others that are following him, Phil 3:17.

4. I Tim. 4:12 - Paul instructed Timothy to be an example to the believers in (1) word (2) conversation {actions}, (3) charity {love}, (4) spirit (the motivation behind his actions, (5) faith and (6) purity.

1. This refers to the congregation as being sheep.

2. There may be some goats in the congregation, and the true pastor can’t be an example to them, for they aren’t interested in following God anyway.

1. Any leader who expects men to reward their efforts is looking the wrong way.

2. The Hollywood stars glorify each other with their Emmy awards, and other such nonsense.

3. This is the only rewards these people will get, for in eternity they will receive only eternal damnation and a memory of their wasted lives.

1. Christ can give us contentment and peace while we serve Him in this troubled world.

2. This scripture is not talking about that, but about the crown of glory we will receive when this world is over.

1. II John 8 - "Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward."

2. Rev. 2:11 - "...that no man take thy crown."

3. Mark 9:41 - Anyone that gives a cup of cold water to an apostle shall in no wise lose their reward.

4. Matt. 10:40-42 - Here is a two fold promise concerning rewards:

5. It is possible for us to lose our crowns (rewards) because we do not remain faithful to God. This does not mean we will lose our salvation, for Jesus saves us eternally, not until we sin.

1. Some people lose all their rewards in a house fire.

2. Some people simply lose their rewards. (They don’t know where they are.)

3. Earthly rewards lose the luster they once had.

1. This is fairly hard for me to explain, but the following examples should help.

2. The "new car smell" will never leave.

3. Our "excitement" over buying something new will always be there.

4. There will never be any discouragement over what we have, or any envy over what somebody else has.

1. It is "natural" for the younger pastors and younger church members to expect the older leaders of the church to submit themselves to God.

2. The younger members (whether preacher or not) should submit themselves to God like they expect the older members (whether preacher or not) to submit themselves to God.

1. There is never a time when young people should be given an excuse to sow their wild oats, because there will be a day when those wild oats will be reaped.

2. The younger members (whether preachers or not) should submit themselves to the leadership of the older more experienced members, whether they understand exactly what they mean or not.

3. I Tim. 5:1 - "Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father..."

1. What is good for the pastor is also good for the church member.

2. What the pastor expects of his members, they should also expect of him.

3. What the church members expect of the pastor, he can also expect of them.

1. If we are truly subject to God, we will be subject to one another.

2. There are churches where the members are subject to one another, but they are not subject to God, or His commands. We are not to be like that.

1. Clothed means to be engirdled (for labor), the apron showing servitude, to be covered.

2. Humility means modesty, loneliness of mind.

1. James 4:6 - James and Peter believed the same thing.

2. Psalms 138:6 - This seems to be the verse James and Peter is thinking of.

1. The proud person is one who refuses to accept what God’s Word says, substituting his own ideas instead.

2. Proverbs 18:12 - Before destruction, a man is haughty; he is humbled before he has honor.

3. Prov. 6:6,7, God hates the proud look.

1. Grace is what they don’t deserve.

2. We would think the humble person would deserve the good things of God, but they don’t deserve good any more than the proud person.

3. Phil 2:5-7 - Jesus humbled Himself to death, even the death of the cross. God exalted Him in due time. (Grace doesn’t apply to Jesus, because He is God.)

4. II Chron. 7:14 - If God’s people will humble themselves, God will heal their land.

5. II Chron. 34:27 - Josiah, king of Judah, humbled himself before God, and God spared him from seeing the destruction of Jerusalem.

1. This is not a compulsory act.

2. There are those people who are sitting on the seat of do nothing, doing nothing, waiting on God to do something for them.

3. This humbling is not like that, but is a voluntary exercise of the will.

1. This doesn’t mean that God is crushing, by a mashing down.

2. God’s mighty hand is acting on every individual, whether they are saved or lost, or whether they recognize it or not.

3. As believers, we are to see God’s hand working in the circumstances of our lives, molding us to please Him.

1. Many a preacher has started out to change the world with his preaching (preaching with emotions instead of the Spirit).

2. When the response to his emotional declarations was fleshly, the preacher should admit it and humble himself so God could bless his preaching.

3. God might use an ornery congregation to humble a proud preacher.

1. Jesus wasn’t exalted on this earth, but was mocked by the very people He came to serve.

2. If Jesus wasn’t exalted on this earth, we shouldn’t expect to be exalted either.

3. If we handle mockery in this life like God expects us to, we will be pleasing to God.

4. Preachers would avoid a lot of trouble if they wouldn’t expect the people to whom they preach to exalt them.

5. The preacher ought to lead the congregation to exalt Jesus Christ, not the preacher.

1. If preachers are exalted at the wrong time, it will be for their destruction.

2. A baby chick that has its shell broken so it doesn’t have to break the shell itself will not live, because the struggle to break the shell gives the chick strength to survive in the world.

3. So it is with preachers.

4. If preachers are exalted in this world, it will spoil us, and we won’t struggle to gain the strength necessary to grow to Christian maturity.

5. Luke 14:11, the parable Christ told about the man who went to a feast and sat in the highest place. When he was asked to sit in a lower seat, he was embarrassed. If he had sat in a low seat, and then been asked to sit in a higher seat, it would have caused people to admire him. This is exactly like preachers ought to do. If the preacher will recognize that he doesn’t deserve exaltation, leading his people to exalt Christ, they will exalt him for leading them to Christ.

1. Charles Spurgeon once preached, and he overheard some of the hearers exclaim that they enjoyed hearing him preach. He declared to them that he had failed to preach the truth if all they heard and saw was him. He would be a successful preacher if they heard and saw only the Savior.

2. Among those who visited Dr. Carey, the missionary, in his last illness was Alexander Duff, the Scotch missionary. On one occasion he spent some time talking chiefly about Carey’s missionary life, until the dying man whispered, "Pray." Duff knelt down and prayed and then said "Good-bye." As he passed from the room, he thought he heard a feeble voice pronouncing his name, and turning, found that he was recalled. He stepped back accordingly, and this is what he heard, spoken with gracious solemnity: "Dr. Carey! Dr. Carey! When I am gone say nothing about Dr. Carey -- speak about Dr. Carey’s Savior." Duff went away rebuked and awed with a lesson in his heart that he never forgot. ----Scattered Seed

3. I used to think that God’s gifts were on shelves one above the other; and that the taller we grew in Christian character the easier we could reach them. I now find that God’s gifts are on shelves one beneath the other; and that it is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower; and that we have to go down, always down, to get His best gifts. ----Alliance Weekly

1. They are not thrown at Christ, like we are flinging our cares away from us.

2. Rev. 4:10 - The twenty four elders cast their crowns before the Lord.

3. The twenty four elders represent all the saved of all the ages.

4. They knew they didn’t deserve the crowns because during times of trouble, they had cast their cares on Christ, who willingly carried them all.

1. Spiritually, it frees us to worship Him instead of worrying.

2. Physically, it aids us in health, both temporary and long term.

1. It’s amazing that we need to be reminded that God cares for us.

2. We should be like John, who was so touched that Jesus loved him that he didn’t call himself by his name.

3. Instead he called himself "the one whom Jesus loved".

4. We have so much pride, we loftily think, "Why shouldn’t God love me?"

1. I Thess 5:6,8 - The only other time this particular Greek word is used in the Bible.

2. Compare I Tim. 3:3, "not given to wine...", speaking about pastors, with I Tim. 3:8 "...not given to much wine...", speaking about deacons. Some have said it is all right for a deacon to drink a little wine, but a pastor should drink none at all. This thought agrees with the Old Testament principle that the High priest must never drink anything intoxicating, but the regular priest are allowed to drink some intoxicating beverages.

3. Now compare I Peter 5:8, talking to pastors, with I Thess 5:6,8, which is talking to church members.

4. There is never a time to be drunk.

1. Means to keep awake, to be watchful.

2. Sometimes the word vigilant and the word sober is used interchangeably.

1. Anybody that wants to understand how Satan works can find out.

2. The wiles of Satan have not changed.

3. If we want to know what Satan is going to do to us, we must read the Bible to discover what he did to others.

1. He has no fear of us or God.

2. Job 1:7, 2:2 - Satan told God he was going to and from in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3. He is covering the earth very thoroughly, therefore, there is no place we can hide from him except in Jesus Christ.

4. He is not in a hurry to get us.

1. Satan is looking for an opportunity to destroy anybody.

2. He doesn’t care who it is.

3. If he can destroy a minister of the gospel, he has also weakened those that had confidence in that minister.

1. C. S. Lovett wrote a book concerning fighting the devil.

2. In the book he said we ought to speak audibly to the devil, telling him to go away and leave us alone.

3. Some people think this will work, but it won’t.

4. If it worked like that, then Satan would be leaving because of what we said, because of our power.

1. He said, "The Lord rebuke thee".

2. Psalms 8:5, Hebrews 2:7,9 - Jesus was made in the likeness of man, and man is lower than the angels.

3. Therefore any angel is closer to God than we are.

4. Michael the archangel is closer to God than any of us.

5. If Michael the archangel would only say "The Lord rebuke thee", and we are lower than the angels, we surely don’t have any right to tell the devil to go away and leave us alone.

1. James 4:7 means that we submit ourselves to God, and in submitting ourselves to God, we automatically resist the Devil.

2. The devil will flee from us, not because of something we said or did, but because he cannot stand before God.

1. We worship God according to spirit and truth.

2. The more truth we know, the more we can worship him in the spirit.

3. Therefore, we learn what God is saying to us in the Bible, obey that, and in so doing, Satan will flee from us.

4. Another way of putting it is that we learn the Bible doctrines, and obey those Bible doctrines, and in so doing, Satan will flee from us.

1. I Cor. 10:6 - The Old Testament is given to us for an example that we might understand that sin brings punishment, and faithfulness brings blessings.

2. If our brothers have overcome the same afflictions we have, then we can overcome then also.

1. Life is hard for all people, even the lost who serve themselves.

2. Sometimes preachers feel they shouldn’t suffer because they are serving God.

3. Preachers should remember that they suffer because they are serving God.

4. God gives grace (unmerited favor) to preachers who don’t deserve it.

1. There is a call to salvation, Eph. 1:3-6.

2. This call is not a call to salvation, but a call to service through the special ministry of preaching.

3. Eph. 4:1 - Preachers are directed to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called.

1. The glory of man is not eternal, because it fades away.

2. God has replaced this fading glory with His un-fading, eternal glory that never loses any of its luster.

1. Preachers have received the call to salvation because of the work of Jesus Christ.

2. Preachers have received the call to the ministry because of the work of Jesus Christ.

3. Preachers receive eternal glory, which they don’t deserve, because of the work of Jesus Christ.

1. Phil. 1:29, "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;"

2. We would like to believe and serve without suffering, but that is impossible.

1. We don’t know how long this earthly suffering will last.

2. Sometimes our suffering will be severe, and sometimes insignificant.

3. One thing for sure, the suffering we endure now is short and inconsequential compared to eternity.

1. Perfect - not without fault or sin, but complete in a childlike trust in God.

2. Stablish - to turn resolutely in a certain direction.

3. Strengthen - God gives us bodily vigor in resisting the wiles of Satan.

4. Settle - to lay a basis for, to erect (as in building a building), to lay the foundation.

1. It means that when I learn the doctrines of Christ and apply those doctrines to my life (resisting Satan in the faith) I will come to a time when I will be perfect, established, strengthen, and settled.

2. Matt. 7:24-27 - We shall be like the house build on the rock, able to withstand the floods and storms of life, and those troubles brought on by Satan.

1. God is the one to receive all our praise and worship.

2. It is through Jesus Christ, by the working of the Holy Spirit that we give this praise and worship.

1. We don’t add to God’s glory.

2. We give Him all glory, worship and praise.

1. In this present age, Satan has dominion because he is the prince and power of the air.

2. There is coming a day when God will have total dominion over His creation.

3. Satan, along with all wickedness, will be in the Lake of Fire.

1. Satan’s dominion over this world lasted only while God allowed "time" to continue.

2. When there is no more time, and we enter into eternity, we will enjoy the dominion of God for ever and ever.