1 Peter 5:1-13 – Discerning Glory and Grace in a Christian Life

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The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faithful.

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Christians use some words all the time, but do we really know what they mean? Take, for instance, the word glory. It’s used more than 350 times in the Bible, and almost always about God. This is through the Bible, where our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, explains what the word glory really means, and I guarantee it’ll make your worship of God even more meaningful. We’re in our final leg of 1 Peter at Chapter 5. I’m Steve Schwetz, welcoming you aboard what Dr. McGee affectionately called the Bible Bus. So why don’t you find your seat, and through the Bible’s president, Greg Harris, and I have got a few letters to share. We’ve got such a great listening family, Greg, don’t we?

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We do, and we do not take you for granted. I hope you know that. If you’re listening to the sound of our voice, we want you to know we deeply appreciate you, and we count it such a privilege to be able to help you with Dr. McGee’s teachings.

SPEAKER 03 : 1:11

Yeah, and if it wasn’t for the World Prayer Team and the financial support that primarily comes out of the U.S. and Canada to help the ministry go out, we would not be able to certainly spend at the level we do. Over half of what comes into the ministry goes out into other places, a model that nobody would recommend in the long term. And yet we know you that are listening in the U.S. and Canada are the ones that provide the fuel for that to happen.

SPEAKER 04 : 1:35

And let me tell you, I’m looking across at Steve Schwetz, my friend, my good friend, and he’s also the chairman of the board. And he actually asks me, are we meeting and exceeding that threshold of over 50 cents of every dollar being invested in the global ministry? But we’re so grateful to you, and we love that you keep telling your story. And here’s a little prompt before we start. If you’ve never written to us, listen to these and think about writing them.

SPEAKER 03 : 2:02

Let me read this first one because this is from Diana in Green Valley, Arizona. And I love it because in her family, the script is reversed. I like to see if you can see this. I have been listening and contributing monthly for 20 plus years. So I figured it’s about time I write a brief thank you note. I found my teenage son listening on the radio before school one morning back in the early 2000s. He told me he enjoyed listening to Dr. McGee, so I began to listen every day during my commute. Dr. McGee changed my long commute from a chore to a time of peace and spiritual refreshment that I look forward to every day. After I remarried a few years later, my husband and I found Dr. McGee on YouTube and and listened every night to his Sunday sermons after work, in addition to the daily radio program. Now we are retired and listen every night on the app. We are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary and just finished listening to the Saturday Questions and Answers program. We have made a few complete trips through the Bible with you, and we learn something new every time. We are excited to see the Bible bus traverse the whole world nowadays. Thank you for your faithful ministry, getting the whole word out to the whole world. Greg, why don’t you read this next one from Julian, Colorado.

SPEAKER 04 : 3:15

Yes, she writes this. I am writing to request two packs of Bible bus passes, and we’ll explain what those are in just a moment. So Julie goes on. This is my first time corresponding with you. I love hearing Steve Schwetz’s opening and closing on the program each day. And by the way, Julie, I do, too. And she goes on, it’s a joy when Greg Harris joins him, and I’m glad you feel that way. We have so much fun doing this together. So Julie says, I’m not a new listener, but I am new at having the ability to listen every day now that we are no longer so active in the ministry. My husband just turned 88, and we are becoming more and more homebound. I love the Sunday sermons, too. I’m so blessed. Thank you. I pray for you along with you on the World Prayer Team. Wow. Julie, thank you. You are a super user and a super supporter.

SPEAKER 03 : 4:09

Yeah, that’s such an encouragement to us. And even though you didn’t say how old you were, but that’s okay. 88 is your husband’s age, and you’re asking for Bible bus passes. Yes, we love that. Handing out Bible bus passes with QR codes on it. Way to go, Julie. So thank you for that.

SPEAKER 04 : 4:23

Yes, and if you don’t know what that is, as Steve said, these are business card size. They fit in your wallet, and they’re very convenient, and you can just share this with anybody. They just point their phone at it, and it will take them to a website where they can download the app.

SPEAKER 03 : 4:37

Yeah, it’s a great low-friction way to just say, hey, can I share something with you? Nobody’s going to say no to that. So just hand out a Bible bus pass and say, I’ve been blessed by this. Absolutely. Greg, pray for us as we begin.

SPEAKER 04 : 4:48

Father, we are so grateful for our listening family here in North America that listen and support and pray and give out Bible passes. We pray that you would bless all of those who are supporting this great work of getting your word to the world. Now we pray that you’d bless our hearts and deepen our lives and transform our characters as we study in Jesus’ name.

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Amen.

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Here’s Dr. J. Vernon McKee with our final study of 1 Peter on Through the Bible.

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Now, friends, we come to the fifth chapter of 1 Peter, and this will be our last study together. And someone says, where do we go from here? Back to the Old Testament now. And we go to the little prophecy of Amos. And I ought not to say little prophecy. They’re all big prophecies. And even what’s called the minor prophets. We’ll be there next time. Now let’s come to chapter 5. And here you have the suffering and the second coming of Christ. You see the Christian life. begins with the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ for you and me on the cross. And he bore the penalty there of our sin. And then there is suffering for the child of God today because he uses that in our lives to sharpen us, to make us the kind of Christian that he can use and the kind that he wants. And we see first of all now in the first four verses of this chapter, it produces service and hope. Now, let me read this. You have the suffering of Christ in the past, the present suffering of the saints, And that’s the method God uses. And then we have the second coming of Christ when he comes first for his church. What a time of real blessing that’s going to be. And our present suffering is related to that. Will you listen now to verse 1? The elders who 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.” Now, he begins by asserting his position. Now, he doesn’t even here call himself an apostle. Actually, what he’s talking about here is the fact that he’s an elder. And he says, I’m also an elder. That means there were other elders. And this word here for elder is a word that is sometimes used speaking of the person, being an elder person. And presbyteros is used then. And then again, the word episkopos is used. And it speaks of the office of the man, not the person of the man, but his office. And it was an office, a spiritual office of shepherding. Actually, it’s the word that is used for shepherd. And that is the word that we have here. And that’s all that Simon Peter ever claimed to be. He calls himself a fellow elder. He never claimed a superior place above his brethren. And on that basis, though, he exhorts them. And he was in a unique position. He was a witness of the sufferings of Christ. Now, that’s where he begins. And also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Now, when was that glory? In the next epistle of Peter, the second epistle, we’re going to find out he identifies that that he was a witness of that also. And that was on the Mount of Transfiguration. He saw him die yonder on Calvary. And he saw him transfigured yonder on the Mount of Transfiguration, which probably in the north could be Mount Hermon. I’ve always felt that was the place, but there’s a difference of opinion as to what mountain it was. But actually, it makes no difference to us today about the geographical spot. It’s the thing that took place there. And Simon Peter speaks of that, that he was a witness of this, But there is a glory that’s coming in the future that’ll be greater than that. Now, he said on the basis of this, he says, feed the flock of God. which is among you, taking the oversight of it, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” I’ve read four verses, by the way, and beginning here now with verse 2, we have something that I feel that we should emphasize here. It suggests that the one who is an elder occupies the place of a bishop, and never is it used in the singular. It’s always elders, never just one. But it means a shepherd of the flock. And it suggests provision and protection, supervision and discipline, instruction and direction, all of these that we have here, and that this ministry is to be performed in a very positive way, but also he gives a negative injunction. It is to be done for the right reason or in the right spirit, not because they must do it, but because they freely choose to do so. And will you notice that? Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight of it, not by constraint, but willingly. Do it willingly. God doesn’t want you to take an office in the church on this touting position of, well, if you can’t get anybody else to do it, I’ll do it. Well, my friend, if they can’t get anybody else to do it, then don’t you do it. Because that’s not the reason to serve him and has no value in serving him if you’re doing it under constraint. He says here willingly. And then he says not for filthy lucre. but of a ready mind. And he makes it clear that there must be the right reason, the right spirit, And it’s because they freely choose to do it, but also with the right motive, not for material gain, but for the sheer delight of doing it, finding satisfaction in the job itself rather than in what they get out of it. I said to my daughter, we were driving several years ago into the church. She was working in our radio at the time, and we were on the way to the office, and we got stuck in traffic as usual on the freeway. And I said to her, look around at these people. Do you see anybody that looks happy? There they sit under tension and pressure trying to get to a job that they hate and despise. I says, the average person today is doing something he doesn’t like to do at all. I said, it’s wonderful to be in the Lord’s service and you can do your job because you love to do it and you want to do it. And that’s made this ministry of radio to me a sheer joy. This is, to me, the most fascinating, wonderful thing. The Lord, you know, he never lets you do anything for him what he doesn’t do something better. So he’s turned around and been better to me than he’s ever been to me. So I love him for it. But that is the thing he’s talking about here. There must be the right motive. Now he says here something else. That neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. In other words, it must be done in the right manner. Not driving, but leading. Not domineering, but setting an example. It is a work, therefore, in which you ought to be an example to the flock. I do not think that a preacher can get in the pulpit and browbeat his congregation to do something that he actually is not doing himself. I used to make it a practice never to ask people to give to any cause that I didn’t give to also. I don’t think we have a right to make a demand of other folk that we are not involved in ourselves. Now, he goes on here and he says… And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Now, it must be done with the proper awareness that in it they serve the chief shepherd to whom they are answerable and that he will himself reward service rendered with rewards that are eternal. Now, don’t get the impression that that we’re working for nothing. We’re not. Paul made it clear, Christians not to work for nothing. You’re to work for him and look to him for a reward someday. That’s the way that we are to serve him. Now, he says here something about receiving a crown of glory. There are many crowns, and we’ve mentioned them. There’s been the crown of life that he gives, the crown of righteousness. We’ve already talked about that. Now, what is the crown of glory? I think that it means you’re going to share someday in his glory. Now, I’ve never had an opportunity yet in this entire course to talk about the glory of God. I actually do not have that opportunity today other than to just mention this. And I made this study many years ago, and I’m speaking now from memory. I think at that time that I found 17 separate words in the Old Testament that were translated by the word glory. And that’s a word that’s used today. What do you understand by the word glory? What does it mean? How big is it? What shape is it? What color is it? What is it? What is glory? And I have a notion that the average Christian would just have about the foggiest notion about this thing. Well, I found out that glory does have a shape and size. Listen to this. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. And I’m not going into that today, but the size of this universe that they already know about is staggering. And I think we’ve never even gotten out of the front yard of God’s vast universe. It’s so great. That’s glory. The greatness of our God. And then what about color? Well, you look up at this vast universe at night. Look up at the sky in the fall. If you’re in New England, take a good look at the leaves back there for me, because it’s wonderful to be in that country and see the colors. That’s glory, the glory of God. I walked with a man down at Rancho Santa Fe here in Southern California. He’s a man I’m sure of means. He’s retired now and he just pays attention to his garden there. He raises some of the most beautiful roses you’ve ever seen and zinnias. I hope I pronounced that correctly. And oh, they’re colorful. And he just reached down and he lifted up the head of one of those zinnias. And he said, you know, here in the spring, I put just a little seed in the ground. Look what’s come up. Look what’s happened here. He says, and then they try to tell me there’s no God. Glory has color. May I say to you, it is something that’s quite wonderful, the glory. And we’re going to share in that someday because he’s going to give a crown of glory to those. And he’s called the chief shepherd here. Now, the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. That’s Psalm 22. The great shepherd of the sheep, he watches over the sheep. And that is Psalm 23. Then Psalm 24 is the chief shepherd, and that’s when he appears. And someday our great shepherd is going to appear, and he’ll still have his flock. We’ll be members of that flock. How wonderful this is that we have. You now must move on. In verse 5, I read, “…in like manner ye younger submit yourselves unto the elder.” They’ve changed that around today, and the elder are supposed to submit to the younger. This has been a young man’s day and a young people’s day. They’re the ones that protest. They’re through with the establishment and that sort of thing. But a Christian young person should need to realize, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. After all, your father, if you’ve got a godly father, he’s got a lot of sense if you really want to know the truth, and maybe more sense than you have. A friend of mine told me, he says, you know, I was ashamed of my dad when I went away to college. And he’d made good money. He was an executive. But I was ashamed of him. He had such old-fashioned ideas. He was a real square. And he says, you know, when I finished college and got out in the business world, I hadn’t seen him for a couple years. And he says, you know, when I met my dad, I was just absolutely amazed of how much he’d learn in about six years. May I say to you, a lot of young people find out that their dad learns a great deal after they’ve been out in the school of hard knocks in the world today. Now he says this, yea, all of you be subject one to another. In other words, believers should not try to just insist on having their way over others and be clothed with humility. Now, we’re down here in the section where suffering produces humility and patience in light, of course, of the coming of Christ. He says that clothed with humility, for God resisted the proud and giveth grace to the humble. And here again, we have something that is quite wonderful, by the way. Peter’s talked a great deal about this matter of humility and also of grace. A proud person. We’ll not be able to experience the grace of God. It’s only when you and I come in humility and we’re to be clothed with it. Actually, we’re to be armed with it. That is the picture that is given here. It should be the attitude of the child of God. Christ is the one that’s going to establish justice and make things right when he comes down here. And you can’t straighten out the world. You may think you can. Now he says here, “…casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.” And that is anxiety. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. I’ll rest you. Bring your burden of sin to him, and he’ll save you. Then come to him later on, and he will meet you and help you with your problems. Cast your care upon him. We’d worry about nothing, Paul said to the Philippians, but pray about everything. That is, take it to the Lord in prayer and leave it there. Don’t pick it up again. Verse 8, be sober. Now, actually, the word sober here, I was wrong in my note. When we saw it used back in verse 7 of chapter 4, it was sober-minded. And that does mean be an intelligent Christian. But here, the word means it’s another word, drink no wine. And it’s very important to see that, by the way. And I’m going to come back to that if I have time today, because I’d like to deal with that a little farther. Be vigilant, that is, be alert, because your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. And we’re told to resist him. The devil’s loose in the world today. Verse 9, whom resist steadfast in the faith. And actually, it means here, it’s a picture of an army that’s standing against an enemy. And we should stand with other believers. I don’t think you can resist the devil by yourself. You not only need the armor of God, but you also need the other believers to stand with you. Every time I get in trouble on this radio, I let all you folk know. You know why? I want you to stand with me. We need it. And that’s what the word means here. To resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace… who hath called us unto his eternal glory. Hear that word glory again, in Christ Jesus. We’ll have no glory in and of ourselves. The church is sort of like the moon. The moon reflects the light of the sun. It’s only reflected glory. But we are going to share in that. In Christ Jesus. And actually, the word Jesus is not in the better manuscripts. It means in Christ. It’s that familiar expression we’ve dealt with before. After ye have suffered a while, make you perfect. And that word perfect here actually means to bring you to perfection, strengthen you. That’s what he means. Establish. And that means to strengthen the brethren. That’s what our Lord said to Simon Peter. Strengthen the brethren and then settle you. That means to restore you. And to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Then he gives us a little P.S. here. He says, by Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose I’ve written briefly. Silvanus wrote this. If you don’t like the Greek here, blame Silvanus. exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which ye stand. The church that is at Babylon, and I believe Babylon means Babylon here. Simon Peter’s too practical to have used a figurative term. Elected together with you, greeted you, and so doth mark my sons. You see, Mark made good. Greet ye one another with a kiss of love. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen. And there are many things here that we could emphasize. For instance, a kiss of love. Well, make sure that it’s the right kind of a kiss. Someone has said a kiss to a young girl is hope. To a married woman, it’s faith, but to an old maid, it’s charity. But I think that we better just use the handshake today. Until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.

SPEAKER 03 : 24:54

With that warm blessing, we finish our study in 1 Peter. If you’re in a season of suffering yourself, Peter’s perspective through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is something that you can take to heart. Jump back on the Bible bus next time as we return to the Old Testament book of Amos. Get your copy of Dr. McGee’s notes and outlines in our app at ttb.org or call 1-800-65-BIBLE. I’m Steve Schwetz, and as always, I’ll meet you back here next time.

SPEAKER 02 : 25:22

Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.

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Our story on the Bible Bus today is just one step in a five-year journey through the entire Word of God. Come along for the ride, and you’ll study both the Old Testament and New Testament, discovering God’s great redemption story. Is this your story too?