"To Elders" - 1 Peter 5:1-5

"5 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." - 1 Peter 5:1-5 NASB

     Peter's instructions here to elders are great.  I often find myself in a discipling position, so I am going to be speaking from a place of being an elder.  Peter tells elders to "exercise oversight not under compulsion."  This should not be a chore, or something we feel obligated to do.  We should eagerly desire to invest in those around us that God has equipped us to help.  We have experience and we have gained wisdom because of it and that wisdom is valuable to others who have not yet had the experiences we have had.  I feel like we need to have this attitude more in our churches, that we make it a point to take those younger than us under our wing and invest in the next generation.
     He also points out that elders should have the right motivations and attitudes, that you should not be an elder for gain, or to hold your position over others.  We are to adopt the same attitude as Christ and be servant leaders.  Christ did not lord his position over His disciples, He took the lowest place among them and washed their feet.  He was the ultimate example.  If we elders lead like this, then we will be rewarded with glory when Christ comes back.  Rather than pursuing glory in the eyes of men now for your station as a leader, covet the glory which Christ gives to those who are faithful.
     Peter also calls younger people to submit themselves to the wisdom of elders, and to be humble towards all.  I think it is extremely valuable to recognize how little you know and to adopt a teachable attitude.  God is opposed to the proud.  God is the only one who has it all together, and when we act like we do, it is an affront to truth.  The truth is, we are all incomplete and imperfect and we should look to God as glorious and not ourselves because any glory we can muster pales in comparison.

 

"Suffer for the Right Things" - 1 Peter 4:12-19

"12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; 16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? 19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right." - 1 Peter 4:12-19

     These last verses of chapter 4 are the conclusion of much of the book up to this point.  Again Peter reiterates about the concept of suffering for following Christ.  Do not be surprised when you suffer, Peter says. Suffering is something we should expect.  The Christian life is hard.  The will of God is not always the easiest thing to follow.  Sin is often the much easier choice.  Sin feels good in the moment, but leads to eternal and lasting suffering.  Often good might bring on immediate suffering, but we are promised that when all is said and done, suffering will cease forever.  "The revelation of His glory" that Peter talks about is the end of days.  It is the judgement of all men, the return of Christ, at which all men, evil and righteous, will see and acknowledge the glory of God.  If we suffer because of Christ we are blessed.  But if we suffer as a result of our sins, as a result of our murder, or our slander, or our greed, or our pride, or our lust... we get what we deserve.  The penalty for sin is suffering and death.  When judgement comes, we as Christians will be judged as members of the house of God.  And because we dwell with Him, we will receive grace.  But those who do not know Him, those who reject Him, will suffer because of their rebellion.  When we suffer now for the sake of God we can trust and know that no matter what the world brings against us, no matter what is done to our bodies, our souls are safe in Christ.  We will live with Him forever.

"Bring God Glory in Everything You Do" - 1 Peter 4:8-11

"8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint. 10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." - 1 Peter 4:8-11 NASB

     By beginning with "above all," Peter is placing the command that follows at peek priority.  He is saying that actively loving one another is more important than most anything else.  And by saying that "love covers a multitude of sins" He is saying that love is more powerful than sin.  Sin should be forgiven and forgotten, overcome by the love we show despite being harried by the sins of others.
     "Be hospitable to one another without complaint."  We are to open our homes to others, care for others, and do what we can to make other's lives easier.  In addition to that, we are to have a good attitude about it even when we sacrifice and are hospitable to others and they are thankless, or rude to us.  We are to allow ourselves to be taken advantage of for the sake of the cross.  I am not very good at this.  I may be good at the first step, the self sacrifice, but if it goes unrecognized, or flat out abused, I begin to get angry and resentful.  Lord, change my heart.
     Then, Peter goes on to talk about how each of us in the Lord's service have been granted a special gift.  God has a purpose for each one of us and He has gifted us all in different and unique ways.  As we begin to identify those gifts, we are able to use them to bring glory to God.  Peter emphasis an attitude of doing everything to the glory of God, so even if you don't know what your gift is, if you are doing everything as if unto God, than you can bring God glory in anything you do!
   

"Alive and Sober in Spirit" - 1 Peter 4:6-7

"6 For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God. 7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer."  - 1 Peter 4:6-7

     The purpose of the gospel is to bring life to those who are dead.  When the knowledge of Christ's saving work enters someone's life, and is embraced, a radical change happens.  Peter was just talking about how the wicked will give their account to God, and now he is talking about how the gospel is to prevent as many as possible from that fate.   Our flesh will pass away no matter what, but our spirit has the opportunity to defy death, if it is surrendered to God.
     Interpreting the "those who are dead" could be tricky at first, but given our interpretation of verse 3:19 earlier, we know he's not talking about preaching to the dead.  It's more saying that they had the opportunity to hear while they were alive.  Also, God is outside of time, so even as Jesus is preaching, God knew who would accept His message and who would not.  He preached His message to all, even to those who would one day die without accepting Him.
     Peter then warns us that the end is coming soon.  I always find this interesting, the sense of urgency they felt in the first years after Christ left earth.  They were so focused on His return.  They heeded His words about being ready, His parable of the ten virgins and their oil lamps was ever on their minds.  He would return to take His bride, and they would be ready.  I think we look at the story, and how 2,000 years have passed, and we forget that urgency.  I think they were right to be expectant, and I wish my attitude was more like that.
     Anyway, what Peter tells us to do in the meantime is to be wise (having sound judgement), and to pray.  He is contrasting the drunkenness of the flesh from earlier with sobriety of the spirit, that because we wait expectantly for Christ to return, we should have our wits about us when He arrives!  

"But All The Cool Kids Are Doing It..." - 1 Peter 4:3-5

"3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. 4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead." - 1 Peter 4:3-5

     I think this passage is pretty straight forward.  Before you came to Christ, you lived in your sin.  Peter says that that time before Christ was plenty of time to spend on that kind of lifestyle.  Lust, drunkenness... He is describing a life lived chasing pleasurable but ungodly things, which is a life of idolatry.  There is so much more than that, and we are called to be separate from that.
     Now, I definitely get the sense that he's specifically talking about overindulging in alcohol and not talking about having any alcohol at all.  "Drunkenness and drinking parties" go hand in hand.  A drinking party is an event where the main point is to drink and get drunk, like the ones they have at college frats.  He's not talking about an event where people have a beer or two and no one gets drunk.  I think that strays into legalism.  Anyway...
     Peter then talks about how some in the culture will look down on you for not engaging in the same sorts of things they do, and that they might harass you about it.  But he reminds us that they will all have to be judged by God and justice will be served in the end.  It is not our place to enforce God's law on others, God will do that himself.  We can take a little comfort from that; that as we submit ourselves to others, and they cause us harm, in the end God will repay them, unless they turn to Him.

"A Slave to the Flesh No Longer" - 1 Peter 4:1-2

"Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God." - 1 Peter 4:1-2

     Again, Peter directs us to emulate Christ.  Christ suffered in the flesh, and He did so because He was submissive to God's will, and because He loved others to the point of sacrificing Himself.  We are to arm ourselves with that same attitude.  It's hard, but we should view suffering as an opportunity to submit to God and love others.
     He talks about how fleshly suffering makes sin cease.  This is interesting.  I think what he is trying to communicate is that choosing to suffer in the flesh is robbing it of it's power.  If our flesh is naturally bent towards what it likes, and a lot of the things our flesh likes are sinful, then when we submit our flesh to God and even allow it to suffer, then God has the power and not our flesh.  Living for the will of God means denying our flesh and no longer being mastered by our lusts but by what God desires.

"The New Ark" - 1 Peter 3:21-22

21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

     Here Peter draws a parallel between the Ark, that brought Noah and his family salvation from the flood, with baptism and the saving work of Christ.  Water was often equated with death; especially large bodies of water.  To be a fisherman, as Peter was, was a perilous profession.  Many were not good swimmers, if they could swim at all, and people at the time had no concept of what might lie deep beneath the waves.  The idea of the being out in the ocean was terrifying for many.  Add to that the fact that the word had already been completely destroyed by a flood and it is easy to understand why water was equated with death.
     So here Peter says, just as the Ark saved Noah and his family, Baptism now saves you.  He goes on to clarify that it is not the literal dunking, not taking a bath and removing dirt from your body, that saves you.  No, what saves you is two-fold.
     First is the "appeal to God for a good conscience," that is the acknowledgement of our guilt and sin, and our call to God to do something about it.  In the greek, the word "appeal" is eperōtēma and it is more than just a question or call.  It holds within it a deep longing and desire.  It is an attitude change, a desperate call for rescue.  It is the feeling many of us experienced when we initially came to faith in Christ (what many call getting "saved,") whether that corresponded temporally with our physical baptism or not.  Historically, there was no gap of time between baptism and salvation in the early church, but somewhere in the many permutations of the church since then, a gap has formed where one may be "saved" for many years before being baptized.  I think this is because of a lack of proper understanding and education regarding baptism.  Baptism is important, but it is not most important though.  The second piece is the bigger piece.
     Secondly, we are not saved only through our own action of eperōtēma, but much more through the bigger action of Christ's death and resurrection.  Centuries before we would ever choose to acknowledge Him, Christ chose to die for our sins.  He chose us over Himself.  He chose us.  All authority was given to Him by the Father, and He laid it all down to die for us, and now He waits for us at the right hand of the Father, His victory over death forever sealed.  And so we are saved by both our action and His action, or better yet, His action and our reaction.