The birth of Christ prophesied, Isaiah 7:14, 9:6

Well, since we finished the epistle of 1 Peter last week, I thought it was appropriate to do a couple of messages for the next couple of services on the subject of Christ’s birth before we get into our next series on 2 Peter. What I want to do today is focus on two passages of scripture in Isaiah which speak of the birth of Christ. There are other Messianic prophecies in Isaiah, but I just want to focus on two that particularly mention the birth of Christ.  The first is found in Isaiah 7:14. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Now if you look at the context, it may have not been immediately evident that Isaiah was speaking of the birth of the Messiah.  In context, the king of Judea was Ahaz, and he was  a rebellious king against the Lord.  The king of Israel and the king of Syria had plotted an attack against Judah. They wanted to attack Jerusalem, defeat the capital of Judah, then depose Ahaz and set up their own king. But God had promised that Judah would not succumb to their attacks. Ahaz, however, didn’t believe God, but wanted to make an alliance with Assyria who he thought would protect them. So God told Ahaz to ask for a sign as divine confirmation that God would deliver them.

And so Ahaz says, rather self righteously, “I will not ask neither will I test the Lord.” But of course it is God who has asked him to accept the sign and so now God says, “All right, Ahaz. If you are not going to ask for a sign, I am going to give you a sign just the same.” “Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.” Ahaz, that is your sign.

This is one of the most famous prophecies regarding the birth of Jesus the Messiah in the Bible. It also illustrates a principle of Biblical prophecy, that prophecy may have both a near fulfillment and a far fulfillment.  Theologians have found much to debate about concerning this prophecy. Many contemporary theologists want to say that this prophecy was fulfilled in the immediate sense.  Now I don’t want to get bogged down this morning about all the ways this may have been fulfilled.  Personally, I don’t think it was ultimately fulfilled until the Messiah was born which is about 700 years later.  I think the next verses speak of Isaiah’s son, and the fact that within 3 years or so, God will deliver Judah from the two kings who had conspired against them.

So without fully understanding why the Holy Spirit chose to interject this prophecy of something which will take place 700 years in the future in the middle of a prophecy that is more or less quickly fulfilled, I want instead to focus on the Messianic prophecy.  Because almost everyone agrees that this particular verse is a prophecy of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Note first of all that the sign given by God is a supernatural event, a divine intervention in the affairs of man, a miraculous sign that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son.  The miracle is that a virgin, a young woman who had never been with a man, should conceive. 

And we know that this prophecy was fulfilled at Jesus’s birth. Matthew writes in his gospel, in chapter 1 vs 20 “But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."  Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:  "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."”

So you see Matthew quotes from this verse in Isaiah, showing that indeed Mary was a virgin, and she was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  This text is ultimately the basis of the Apostles’ Creed, which says Jesus was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.

And what that reveals is a very important doctrine of Christology; that Christ was fully God and fully man.  Conceived of the Holy Spirit in a virgin who gave birth to a son.  And then Isaiah’s prophecy goes on to present even more specifics: they shall call His name Immanuel.  Immanuel means God with us.  John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Previously in John 1:1 John said that the Word was in the beginning with God, and the Word was God.  So Jesus was God, in the beginning with God, and yet He added humanity to HIs nature by being born of a woman.

So Immanuel speaks of the dual nature of Christ.  God became man and thus God is with us. And that introduces us to the next major Messianic prophecy that we are looking at in Isaiah, which gives us more information concerning the birth of the Messiah, and who He is, and for what purpose He was born, and that prophecy is found in chapter 9 vs 6. “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of [His] government and peace [There will be] no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

Many of you will recognize verse six as the basis for part of Handel’s Messiah, which was an oratorio written in 1742. Handel wrote this oratorio based on direct quotes from the King James Bible, and covers the life, death, resurrection and ascension of the Messiah.  It’s one of my favorite pieces of music, and it’s unfortunate that we don’t hear it played more often at Christmas.

But here in this text we have an unusual pair of verses in which the names of the Messiah are all grouped together and the result is that we have more names or titles of the Messiah crowded into one verse than we do anywhere else in all of the Bible. We read in the 6th verse: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor (that comma after Wonderful should not be there), The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” And when we think of the name Jesus which is given to the Lord in the New Testament, remember, by God Himself, it is a divinely chosen name, a divinely significant name. “Thou shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins.”  The  name Jesus is probably the complete summary of all of these Old Testament names that are given to our Lord here in Isaiah. He is Jesus. He is Jehovah’s salvation.

Now for context  notice the 2nd verse, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.” Darkness was within Galilee at the time of Isaiah’s writing.. Darkness was upon Galilee for the Assyrian was coming down upon the land but God says that the light is to come. Once again we see predictive prophecy having both a near and far fulfillment.  But it is to the future fulfillment that we look today, at the promise of the coming of the Messiah who will provide the ultimate deliverance of God’s people. Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.

This passage is quoted in Matt. 4:12-17 “Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee;  and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.  [This was] to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:  "THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES--  "THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED."  From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” So the gospel of Jesus Christ is the light of God shone upon people who were under the darkness of death.

So continuing in our text in Isaiah 9, verses 6, it tells us that, “For unto us, a child is born, unto us a son is given.” The first thing I want you to notice is that in this verse it states, “a child is born, a Son is given.” Now I do not believe that this is written accidentally. The child is born, the Son is given. You see the first expression, “The child is born” is an expression that looks at Jesus as a man in his relation to men. Just as we are born of flesh so He is born of flesh. Our Lord’s human nature comes into existence in the same way as our human nature comes into existence.

He was born as other men are born. So even in his birth he entered into the experiences of humanity. It is a child that is born, emphasizing His relationship to men, His humanity. God becomes flesh and dwelt among us. But then the text states that the Son is given. This is his relationship to God the Father. He was the preexistent Eternal Son and he is given to men. As John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son.” So a child is born, and a Son is given.

Now as child, He is called a descendant of the royal line of David. But He is at the same time, the Son, who is the descendant of God. In fact, he is God’s only begotten Son. And so Jesus is the Son of God, that is, He is divine.

So, unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given. Then notice, the government shall be upon his shoulder. What is this government that shall be upon his shoulder?  I would say without question it is the government of the Kingdom of God.  He is the King of the Kingdom of God.  Back in Matthew 4:17 which we read a moment ago we read that from that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus is the King of the government of God, or the kingdom of heaven. Both expressions speak of the same kingdom.

Notice vs7 “Of the increase of [His] government and peace [There will be] no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”  The government of the kingdom of heaven is an eternal government. It is a spiritual government. Jesus announced the spiritual aspects of it at His first appearing, and He will bring about the consummation of the physical aspects of His kingdom at His second coming, and it will continue  for eternity. 

Rev 21:3 speaks of this consummation of the kingdom of God. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.’ And all aspects of the kingdom of God will be accomplished because of the zeal of the Lord of hosts.  That’s a reference to the Lord of angelic armies.   I’m reminded of John 2:17, after Jesus cleansed the temple, it says in vs 17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.”

Notice then the titles of the Messiah. The first one, Wonderful Counselor. When we think of the Lord as wonderful, that means marvelous, incomprehensible, miraculous. We then think of Him as wonderful in the past, wonderful in the present, wonderful in the future.  He is before creation. He is beyond man’s comprehension. He is above all of the ministry and wisdom of men. He is the wonderful counselor. Wonderful in the past for He is the eternal one. He had no beginning.

He was wonderful in his birth, a miraculous conception. He was wonderful in his ministry. He was wonderful above all in his death. And he was wonderful in His resurrection and he was wonderful in his ascension. All of these great events expressed the supernatural character of our Lord Jesus. You know this word which is used here, translated here “Wonderful” is the Hebrew word pele. Now, this word has a root that is used in several places in the Old Testament and often it is a word that refers to deity.

In Judges chapter 13 there is the story of Samson and the story of how Manoah, his father, had a visit from the angel of the Lord and in verse 17 Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, "What [is] Your name, that when Your words come [to pass] we may honor You?"  And the Angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask My name, seeing it [is] wonderful?" So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the LORD. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on--  it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar--the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw [this], they fell on their faces to the ground. When the Angel of the LORD appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He [was] the Angel of the LORD.  And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God!"

So it was God who appeared to Manaoah.  It was Jesus in his pre-incarnate glory. It was what is called a Theophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of God. Wonderful Counselor, the supernatural counselor.  Counselor means teacher, adviser, guide. Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor.

Then the next tile is “The mighty God.” The word El in Hebrew in the Book of Isaiah never means anything but God. El can sometimes mean something other than God. But in the Book of Isaiah it never means anything other than God. Very clearly here the Messiah is identified as the Mighty God.  I think that the chief priests and scribes knew this to be true about the Messiah.  And they knew that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, and thus claimed to be God.  That’s why they accused Him of blasphemy. That was the crime they accused Him of that they said was worthy of death. And yet they knew that the Messiah must be God. This baby who was born of a virgin was none other than God in human flesh.

Phl. 2:5-11 says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,  who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, [and] coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to [the point of] death, even the death of the cross.  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,  and [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  This baby in a manger was the Mighty God.

The next title is Everlasting Father, or the Father of eternity, isn’t that interesting? The infinite is an infant. The infant is infinite. Unto us a child is born and He is the Father of Eternity. He is not saying that Jesus is the Father. He is talking about his relationship to us, not his relationship within the counsel of the Trinity. In the Godhead of the Trinity there is one God in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit,  but when he speaks of him as the Everlasting Father, or the Father of Eternity, he is speaking of Him in relationship to us. He is the giver of eternal life. He is the parent of Eternity. He is the one who made all things, and who gives eternal life to us and in that sense he is a father of that which is eternal.

Jesus said in John 10:27-28 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”  He is the Everlasting Father.

And then the last title is the Prince of Peace. The angels at Jesus’ birth announced to the shepherds, “Peace on Earth, goodwill to men.” Jesus is the One who makes peace between God and man.  Because He was fully God and fully man, He was able to reconcile man to God.  To be the substitute for man who was condemned to die, and so He took our place and died for our sins so that we might have peace with God. A favorite Christmas hymn is “Hark the herald angels sing.” In that song there is the line, “Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King, peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.”  Christ has the authority and the power to rule over our peace with God.

So Isaiah says in vs 7 “Of the increase of [His] government and peace [There will be] no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this eternal salvation for His people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. God is jealous to accomplish it. That is the meaning of the Hebrew word rendered as zeal by the way, that the jealousy of the Lord of Hosts will perform this and all  power and all authority and all wisdom is given to the Son, to the Child, Immanuel, God with us, who is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, our Father of eternal life, and the Prince of our Peace.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall never perish but have eternal life. I pray that you have believed in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, that you might be born again as a child of God, a citizen of the kingdom of heaven and of His kingdom which will never end.

Sanctified in Humility, 1 Peter 5:6-14

As we come to the close of 1 Peter, he has said in his letter again and again that submission and suffering are used by God as the means to sanctification. Sanctification is simply spiritual maturity.  God uses trials to work in you and conform you into the image of Jesus Christ.  Now added to that “formula” if you will, Peter elaborates by saying that submission and suffering produce humility, which is God’s will for you.  God wants you to be humble, because Jesus was humble and in humbling Himself, He was able to fulfill God’s purposes. The opposite of humility is pride.  And God’s will cannot be accomplished in you until He deals with your pride.

The Apostle John wrote in his first letter [1Jo 2:15-17]  “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world The world is passing away, and [also] its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

God’s will is opposed to your will.  Your will, your agenda, your prerogatives, your ego, your pride are in opposition to God’s will. Self love is in opposition to God’s will.  Self sufficiency is in opposition to God’s will.  A person who takes pride in being a self made man or woman is in opposition to God’s will.  A person who takes pride in what they consider to be spiritual accomplishments is in opposition to God’s will.  

Peter has told us many things we are to do as Christians.  But in doing those things, we are not fulfilling our purposes, but God’s purposes. We are not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, the pride of life, but we fulfill the purposes of God. So if you are truly living a sanctified, holy life, then pride is not really going to be your problem.  Because holiness is not having your nose up in the air.  Holiness is not parading your Biblical knowledge around for everyone to see how spiritual you are.  Holiness comes out of humility.  Holiness is not thinking more highly of yourself than you ought.  Holiness is recognizing that you are in your flesh corrupted by the sin nature and there is nothing good in you.  Holiness comes out of humbleness, recognizing that if any good comes from you it comes because you are dying to the natural man and yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit who works in you.  It’s recognizing that any righteousness that you have is because Jesus transferred His righteousness to you and God is working in you.

So, back in vs 5 Peter begins the summation of his letter by saying, “all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Let me emphasize that point for a moment; God is opposed to the proud.  God is opposed to the proud.  Those that think they are self sufficient in their Christian life, guess what?  God is opposed to you. Those that don’t think that they need to be in church fellowship, guess what?  God is opposed to you.  Those that don’t think that they really need to be in church all that often, guess what?  God is opposed to you.

How so?  Because you think you are good to go.  You think you are sufficiently full, needing nothing.  God is opposed to you.  You don’t think you need to submit to the authority of God’s word.  God is opposed to you. And because He is opposed to you, He is not going to give grace to you.  Grace means in this instance God’s blessings on your life.  You don’t think you need to submit to God’s ordinances, or submit to God’s shepherds, or submit to God’s teaching, or submit to God’s people? Guess what?  God is opposed to you.  Don’t be surprised then at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you, which comes upon you for your testing.  Because you show by your callousness, by your pride, by your rebellion that there is dross in you which needs to be burned out.  

But if you humble yourself, as Peter says in vs 6, under the mighty hand of God, in due time He will exalt you.  In His time, after He has humbled you, after He has deconstructed you in your independence, in your arrogance. Before God can build you up He has to first tear you down.  Because nothing in you is worth keeping.  The Spirit of God will not struggle against your flesh.  Genesis 6:3, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh.”  The problem with the self sufficient Christian is that they may look healthy on the outside, but they are full of disease on the inside.  Their heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, and yet they don’t know it.  They think they are ok.  They look in the mirror of God’s word and they see the problems in other people and don’t bother to fix what is wrong with themselves.  And the problem is pride, which God must root out if He would use you. God is opposed to the proud.  But He gives grace to the humble. 

So therefore Peter says, humble yourselves.  You can either do it yourself, or God will do it.  But one way or another God is going to humble you if you are a child of God. But do not think lightly of the mighty hand of God.  The expression, the mighty hand of God is an Old Testament symbol of God's covering power, God's controlling power, God's sovereignty. God is in charge. The mighty hand of God is the hand of God that saves you, that leads you, that disciplines you.

In Exodus 3, the mighty hand of God delivered the Israelites from slavery to Pharaoh by a series of plagues. In Job 30, Job recognizes that it’s the mighty hand of God which has brought about  suffering in his life.  In Ezekiel 20 the mighty hand of God chastises and punishes His people for their rebellion.  Whether then it’s in deliverance from enslavement to sin, or in suffering for righteousness or in chastisement for idolatry and rebellion,  Peter says you need to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God as He works in you to refine you.  It is a foolish thing to resist God.  But you must submit to His authority and the authorities which He has designated so that He may shed HIs grace upon you.  Peter has already warned us in chapter 4 vs 17 that judgement will begin with the house of God.  God commanded back in chapter 1 vs 16 “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” That’s not a suggestion.  And God will work holiness in you by His mighty hand.

And we need to understand  that the blessing which He promises may not come in our time, but in His time.  And His time may not be until Jesus comes back. There is no promise in this life of having an abundance and having all of the good things in life. But there is a promise that in suffering here we are storing up treasures in heaven.

Now when we encounter the mighty hand of God in our lives, and we experience the trials and tribulations that ultimately come from the hand of God to purify us, and refine us, our natural tendency is to be afraid.  We don’t like loosing control of our situation, do we?  We don’t like letting go of our own destiny. We are afraid of submitting to another’s authority.  The thought of losing control over our lives and letting God take over causes us anxiety, because the truth is we aren’t really too sure about God sometimes.  We think we know better than God what is good for us and so we are afraid to give in.

I have shared my testimony a few times over the years, particularly about how I suffered a major meltdown about 30 some years ago.  I could say it was a nervous breakdown, but that wouldn’t really cover everything that was going on.  It was financial, emotional, physical, just about everything that could go wrong went wrong.  And during the worst of that time I had a real fear that I was going to go insane. I had tremendous anxiety every day for months.  And I had always heard this saying which was when you reach the end of your rope, just tie a knot in it and hang on.  One night I was unable to sleep for several hours and was battling extreme anxiety to the point that I was basically hallucinating. And in my mind I could see myself hanging on to this rope, swinging over a bottomless dark chasm.  And I could feel myself slipping further and further down till I got to the end of the rope, and eventually I just couldn’t hang on anymore.  I remember letting go and falling, and falling, and falling into the abyss which I believed was insanity. I think I blacked out at that point.  But when I woke up the next morning, I found that somewhere in the black darkness of that abyss, when I could no longer hang on, that the Lord had held on to me.

Listen, don’t let anxiety keep you from trusting in the Lord to hold onto you.  Because, as Peter reminds us, He cares for you.  You are HIs charge and He will never let you go.  You are His sheep, of His flock, and though you may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He will be with you.  His rod and staff will comfort you.  By the way, the rod and staff are instruments of deliverance and also instruments of chastisement. But either way, He cares for you. I like the word care being used there.  I think it harkens back to Peter’s description of Christ as the Chief Shepherd in vs 4. We are entrusted to His care.  The Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  And nothing can snatch them out of His hand because He cares for them.

Jesus said in John 10:27-30 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;  and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given [them] to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”  He cares for you if you are one of His sheep, and nothing happens to you without first coming through His hand.

If Jesus is our Advocate, then Peter warns us to beware our adversary.  The Devil is the father of lies, according to Jesus Christ.  So then we must beware lest Satan deceive us by the seduction of pride.  Satan’s original sin was the sin of pride.  Five times in Isaiah 14 Lucifer says “I will.” In his pride he said, “I will be like the Most High.”  And with pride Satan seduced Eve so that she too said “I will be like God,” which caused her fall. And the devil offers to us the same temptation.  To decide for ourselves what is right or wrong, to deny the Lord, and make our own decisions, to plan our own way, and to be self sufficient. Our will be done. To be lord of our own destiny, or so we think.

So be sober, Peter says, be on the alert, because your adversary the devil prowls around as a roaring lion, seeking someone to  devour.  Soberness of course, certainly covers sobriety, not being drunk or high.  But in a more comprehensive way, it speaks of the seriousness of our life.  Being serious minded is not considered a virtue today.  Being serious is something to be avoided.  No one really wants to seriously think about life. The next time you’re at a get together, start talking seriously about life, about heaven and hell and the judgment to come and see how many friends you end up having. 

No one wants to think about serious things. And the devil has so orchestrated the course of this world to keep you distracted, to keep you entertained, to keep you amused.  He has many sources of distraction at his disposal, such as music, popular media, movies, television, even friends or family can distract you from what’s important. I don’t know if you know this, but that passage in Isaiah 14 which speaks of Satan’s pride also speaks of God’s judgment upon him. And one of God’s statements seems to indicate that Satan was the music leader of heaven before his fall.  God says in vs 11, “‘Your pomp and the music of your harps have been brought down to Sheol.” I think it’s entirely possible that a lot of the world’s music is orchestrated by Satan himself. If you don’t believe me, watch a video of Mick Jaeger singing “Sympathy for the Devil.” Or find some old video’s of Jim Morrison at live concerts. 

 I really think it’s a dangerous thing to constantly have music or the television going all the time.  Some people I know can’t sleep without a TV on.  The first thing they do when they get in a car is turn music on. I believe that the devil uses such things to keep your mind from thinking about serious things, such as your eternal destination.  Things such as the brevity of life and the meaning of life.

We need to be sober minded, serious minded and on the alert.  We often live like we are blissfully unaware that there is a lion stalking us, prowling around, looking for someone to devour.  Satan’s goal is to destroy you, make no doubt about it. He hates you with a passionate hatred, because you are Christ’s church.  You belong to Christ, and Satan takes out his hatred for Christ upon you. He wants to bring shame upon the Lord through destroying you. Don’t think that the ages since Lucifer fell from heaven have dulled his hatred for Christ.  It has only served to embitter him more.  He has nothing to fear from the lost, they are already under his dominion and doomed to destruction.  But he has everything to fear from a sanctified Christian living a holy life.  And so he will never sleep, and never grow tired of coming up with strategies to destroy you.

And don’t for a moment think that Satan is not in the church. Satan is working here right now, ladies and gentlemen.  Satan was at work right in Jesus’s inner circle, among the 12 disciples. Jesus said to the 12, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” And Paul said in 2 Cor. that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  Be warned, be alert, because the devil goes among you as a lion, seeking the weak, seeking those who want to be independent, who wander from the safety of the flock, and he devours them.

Peter speaks from the standpoint of experience. I’m sure he could never forget the day when Jesus said to him, “Simon, Simon, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat.”  But Peter was full of confidence, full of self sufficiency, filled with pride in the strength of his flesh, filled with pride that he was considered foremost of the disciples.  And in that pride, Satan took him down further than he could have ever imagined, even to the point of denying Christ three times in one night.  Listen, Satan’s got your number, and it’s your pride, your self sufficiency. 

Jesus was tempted by Satan as well, after being weakened by 40 days of fasting in the wilderness.  But the way Jesus resisted him was through the word of God. Three times in response to three temptations Jesus said, “It is written.”  He relied not upon His own strength to resist temptation, but He relied on the word of God.  And that is how we are to resist Satan as well. Not in our wisdom, nor in our strength, but in the truth of God’s word we rebuke the devil’s lies.  Peter says, “But resist him, firm in your faith.”  Our faith is founded upon the promises of God, the word of God, and not in our own strength or even our own convictions if they are not founded in the truth of God’s word.

Another strategy of Satan that I think we are all very familiar with is that when things get bad, he causes us to think that no one understands, no one else has suffered in the way that I am suffering.  He wants us to withdraw from fellowship, to fill sorry for ourselves and go into some sort of cocoon of self pity.  But notice what Peter reminds us of in vs.9, “But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”  There is nothing new under the sun.  Satan’s tricks are as old as creation.  He has had thousands of years and millions of people to perfect his strategies.  So we must not fall for the lie that no one understands, our plight is worse than anyone else’s.  Peter says the same sort of sufferings are being experienced by the church all over the world.

You know, every time I start feeling sorry for myself, the Lord lets me see someone who is a whole lot worse off than I am. Sometimes it’s someone who is seriously handicapped.  Other times it’s someone who has lost limbs and are confined to a wheelchair.  Whatever it is, God uses it to put my suffering in perspective. Don’t let yourself become obsessed with your troubles to the point of neglecting to see others who are also suffering.  Our job is to encourage one another, to help one another, to serve one another. 

Jesus told Peter after the statement about Satan wanting to sift him like wheat, Jesus said, “but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”  That’s what we are to be doing as well, and that is one of the blessings that comes out of trials, that we have compassion on others who are also suffering, and that we can pray for them and strengthen them.

The other blessing that comes out of our suffering is found in vs. 10, “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” This is the  purpose of our sanctification which is produced through suffering, submission and humility. Peter uses four words to describe the things God is doing in your trials.  

First he will perfect you.  That word which is translated perfect would be better translated as complete.  He will finish in you what He has started.  He gave you the righteousness of Jesus Christ in justification, and in sanctification He exercises righteousness through you as you pattern your life after Christ. Sanctification is the act of being righteous.  And God produces righteousness in you through suffering and submission and humility. Phil. 1:6 says,  “[For I am] confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it [or complete it] until the day of Christ Jesus."

The next three words are basically synonyms  meant to reinforce one idea; that having to do with establishing, as in establishing a foundation, strengthening a building.  After all, Peter told us earlier in chapter 2 vs 5 that “you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”  The purpose then of our sanctification is to make us a fit dwelling for the Holy Spirit. That we might not be moved here and there with every wind of doctrine, that we might not be swayed by the devil’s temptations, that we might not turn aside after the lusts of the flesh being distracted by the world.  God wants to establish us, strengthen us, and make us stedfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

To that end, so that Christ may be all in all, Peter gives us as a benediction, “To Him be dominion for ever and ever, Amen.”  Christ is king over all, and most especially must be king on the throne  in our hearts.  “He must increase,” John the Baptist said, “and I must decrease."

Simply speaking, I must die to my flesh so that He might live in me.  As King of Kings He has all authority and  every right to exercise dominion over me.  As Lord of Lords, He deserves my submission to HIs rule.  And as He lives in me, I will live in Him, so that I might live with Him forever and ever.  Sanctification is simply yielding my life completely to be under the dominion of the Spirit of Christ.  Our life should be used to serve Him.  And He has promised that those who serve Him in His kingdom will have eternal life with Him.

Eternal life begins at conversion.  And in that new life God begins the process of sanctification, learning to submit to His authority, to share in His suffering, to humble ourselves in service, so that we might be like Him, and He might live in us as the temple of His Spirit.  Peter has written a very practical epistle, telling us how to live in this present world, and what to expect in the world to come.  I pray that you have received the grace of God which has offered to you the gift of salvation, and that you have trusted in Him for your salvation and been converted.  If not, today is the acceptable day of salvation.  Come and trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord today so that you may be forgiven of your sins, and find new life in Him. 

Sanctification of the Shepherd, 1 Peter 5: 1-5

If you were reading consecutively through 1 Peter, it almost seems as if chapter 4 would have been the logical place to end the letter.  The theme of 1 Peter has been sanctification, and at the end of chapter 4 we see basically a summary of the teaching that sanctification comes through suffering because of the reaction of the world to holy Christian living.  And in that context, Peter says that God will be the judge of such matters and we should entrust our souls to a faithful Creator.  But he also says that judgment will begin with the house of God.  

That sounds like a warning to the church to stay stedfast and vigilant as we see the day of the Lord approaching, that God is not slack concerning His promises, but will bring every work into judgment, whether good or bad.  That seems a good place to end the letter, I would think.  

So the question then is what do we make of chapter 5? Is it an addendum, an after thought, without reference to the former passage?  Well, the answer is to notice the word “therefore” which starts the first sentence.  “Therefore” ties this passage back to the last of chapter four.  In what respect?  In respect to the judgment of the church.  And in regards to the judgment of the church, God puts the brunt of the responsibility for sanctification of the church upon the pastor.

Peter more than likely has in mind a passage from the Old Testament, Ezekiel chapter 9, in which there was a similar season of judgment against the church of Israel that was announced by God. And in Ezekiel 9:6 the word says that God wanted to “begin the judgment at My sanctuary.” Ezekiel continues in vs 6 saying, “So they began with the elders who were before the house.”  The elders bore the beginning of God’s judgment against His church.  

Peter undoubtedly sees that judgment as a foreshadowing of the judgment that he speaks of here, as beginning with the house of God.  And even as in the vision of Ezekiel when the executioners started with the elders of Israel, so even in the church God starts with the elders as those with the greatest culpability. 

So Peter begins to exhort, to urge, to beseech the elders of the church as the judgment is to begin with them first. This is a urgent call to remain faithful, to be stedfast till the end, and fulfill your responsibility as the shepherd of the church.  

These opening verses then are directed toward the elders of the church.  And though not all in the church are elders, this is still pertinent to you.  Because you need to know what the elders job is supposed to be.  There are a lot of mischaracterizations regarding what the elder or pastor of a church is supposed to be, and a lot of expectations on the part of the congregation that are not necessarily in accordance with what God wants them  to be doing.  

The Greek word for elder is presbyteros. The NT uses the term bishop, elders, and presbyters interchangeably. I don’t believe that they are different positions in the church, but speak of the same position. So elder can refer to all of those.  However, the best definition may be given here by Peter himself; and that is shepherd.  Paul also uses the word poimēn in Ephesians 4:11 when he speaks of pastors in the church which is translated shepherd.  And that is the description that Peter gives here as well in vs 2, “shepherd the flock of God among you.”

So the elders are simply the overseers, the shepherds, the pastors of the flock of God. The word elder, overseer, shepherd, pastor all refer to the same persons, those who are responsible to lead the church, those who are the shepherds and pastors of God's people. They are called elders, which speaks of their seniority and maturity, or at least spiritual maturity.  Overseers  speaks of their leadership. They are called pastor or shepherd which speaks of their responsibility to feed and tend to the flock.

It’s a serious responsibility to care for God’s flock.  It is not the pastor’s flock, it is the Lord’s flock, and the pastor has been given the solemn responsibility to care for them the way that the Lord would have them to.  James warns in James 3:1, “let not many of you become teachers, for as such they will incur a greater condemnation.”  And as Peter indicates here, as well as Ezekiel, the pastor will be held responsible first for the condition of the sheep.

The primary task of the shepherd is feeding the sheep which is done by expounding the word of God. The pastor protects them in order that they may continue to be fed the truth. He guides them into the truth so that they don't go astray into false doctrine which will cause them to stumble. He protects them from predators that would do harm to them, that would ravage the church.  Paul said in Acts 20:29 "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”  So the pastor is to be on guard against false teachers, false prophets, which try to ravage the church.

The sin of the shepherds in Israel, according to Ezekiel 34, is that they did not feed the sheep. Job one of the pastor of a church is not administration, it's not about establishing programs, it's not about producing entertaining services, it's about feeding the sheep. And God’s word is that which gives life according to John 6:63,68.

Peter gives us here in this passage then four points; the role of the shepherd, the readiness of the shepherd, the reward of the shepherd, and the responsibility of the sheep. Peter begins his exhortation  to  the shepherds by saying he is a fellow elder of the church.  Peter was more than just a shepherd, of course.  He was an apostle.  He is writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  But he shows his empathy with pastors and understanding of their role because he says he is an elder himself.  Jesus could show empathy with us because He became a man, He became one of us.  And Peter knows the trials and burdens of being a pastor, having been the pastor of the church of Jerusalem. 

Not only though does he have empathy for them, but he has apostolic authority over all pastors of all the churches.  And the authority which he gives is that he is “a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed.”  That speaks of his apostleship.  The primary requirement of an apostle was that they had been with Christ during his ministry and seen the risen Lord. And so Peter is subtly reminding them of that position that he has to give them instruction, even though he considers himself a fellow elder and under the same responsibilities. 

First then, Peter speaks of the role of the shepherd. He calls upon the pastors or elders of the churches scattered abroad to “shepherd the flock of God that is among you.” The shepherd is to take care of the flock that is local, that is in his community.  I think it’s a reference to their responsibility  to a local congregation.  There may be some benefit for radio preachers or television preachers or traveling evangelists, but there is a primary role for a shepherd to his local congregation and vice a versa, a need of the local congregation to be shepherded.  A good pastor tells his congregation not just what they want to hear, but what they need to hear.  Without such a pastor, the church tends to tune in to things that they find appealing, which ultimately leaves them with a poor diet and malnourished in the doctrines which are less appetizing.

That raises the question though which is, what is meant by shepherd the flock of God? What is the job of a shepherd? Sometimes, it’s helpful to see what something is not supposed to be, in order to understand what they should be.  In Ezekiel 34, God speaks against the shepherds saying in vs 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?  You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat [sheep] without feeding the flock.  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.”  These are the characterizations unfaithful shepherds.

Faithful shepherds however, in contrast to those in Ezekiel’s day, will feed the sheep. They will not take advantage of their position to feed themselves, to clothe themselves without feeding the flock. They will attend the sick, they will strengthen those who are weak, they will seek the lost, they will go after those who have strayed and bring them back into the fold, and they will not be domineering in so doing.

That’s a pretty high standard. And even the Lord recognizes it as such.  Thus He says to Ezekiel in vs 11 of chapter 34,  “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.

As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.”  And in vs 23, “Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd.”

God is speaking, obviously, of the Lord Jesus Christ, symbolically called David, who Peter identifies in vs 4 as the Chief Shepherd. It is the word of Christ which ultimately feeds the sheep and tends to the sheep. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd, and the pastor is but a under shepherd, faithfully rendering to the sheep what the Chief Shepherd has provided and following in His example.  

Peter knew better than anyone the reality of a leader falling short,  even to the point of denying Christ in a moment of crisis and failure of the flesh. But Jesus made a point to restore him, and commission him to feed his sheep, in spite of his failure of faith. God made Peter fit for the office.  And God must equip shepherds today by the gift of His Spirit who is able to make us fit for service and to equip us to do His will.

So a shepherd is to feed the flock, he is to be spiritually mature and a man of good character, he is to love the sheep even as Christ loved the church, and he is to exercise oversight, meaning to oversee, to inspect, to care for, to look diligently, to keep watch over the souls which he has been entrusted with.

Next, Peter speaks of the shepherd’s readiness. Again, there is a contrast to show how a shepherd is to exhibit readiness. He gives three negatives, followed by three positives in two verses. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly.  Not for shameful gain, but eagerly.  Not for domineering those under your charge, but being an example to the flock.

Peter gives three negatives, or pitfalls that cause a shepherd to fall short in his position; duty, greed and a misuse of power.  I think that in the first negative which is a sense of duty, it can be contrasted to a calling. Perhaps a better description of the first negative is a pastor who is in that position because it’s a career choice.  Compulsion speaks of constraint.  Someone who perhaps is constrained by an ecclesiastical board. They may be constrained by pride, by ambition. I believe the great problem in church leadership today is that too many pastors are not called by God, but called by men.  Jesus talked about a shepherd who was a hireling, and as such did not really care for the sheep.  They are constrained by their denominational association, or by their ambition or their pride, but they don’t have a servants heart, and they are not called by God.

The second negative which Peter gives is shepherds that are attracted to money. Even in Peter’s day there were false teachers who were in it for the money and would use their position to fleece the sheep.   In 1Timothy Paul tells Timothy that an elder should not be a lover of money.  In 2 Timothy, he said that false teachers are lovers of money.  These television preachers that are always asking for money and flying around the country in private jets and living a lavish lifestyle are the epitome of false teachers who love money.

I heard some time ago that the television faith healer Benny Hinn has a mansion overlooking Dana Point in Laguna Nigel, Ca.  I’ve been there, there is a well known surf spot at the base of the cliff.  The Ritz Carlton is perched up on the cliff and according to this report Benny Hinn has a house somewhere near by.  That has to be a multimillion dollar property.  I had a business partner once a long time ago who took money out of our capital and used it to give Benny Hinn $10,000 for a private prayer session with him. He charged $10,000 per private session.  He flies around the country in his own private jet. And yet he claims to be a shepherd of the flock of God.  I can only say I don’t want to be in his shoes when he stands before the throne of God and gives an account for what he has done as a false shepherd of God’s flock.  

However, I do want to affirm that the Bible indicates it is proper for the pastor to receive wages for his position.  The financial abuses of false teachers do not annul that. In fact, it’s the responsibility of the church to provide for the pastor’s financial needs. 1Cor. 9:14 says, “So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” And Paul said in 1Tim. 5:17 “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”  But money should not the motive for becoming a shepherd.  

The third shortcoming of shepherds is a misuse of their position. They lord it over the flock, Peter says.  They are domineering.  Instead Peter says that they should be examples to the church of good behavior, of a humble spirit. In Matthew 20:25 Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.   It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  The pastor should be an example in serving the church.

So if shepherds are not to be motivated by position, or money or power, then what is their motivation supposed to be?  Peter answers that in vs 4, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”  The reward will be when Jesus comes again. The prize for shepherds does not come in this life, but in the next one.  So the faithful pastor should be looking forward to the glory that is ahead and the reward that will be given to faithful stewards. And unlike the fading glory of this life, and the things which we must leave behind which we worked so hard for, in the next life there is laid up in store a glory and a reward which will never fade away. And whatever sacrifices that are made in this life will be worth it all when that day comes.

Finally, we look at the sheep’s responsibility.  Shepherding requires sheep.  What does the Bible teach about sheep?  Sheep need feeding, tending to, caring for.  On their own they are subject to getting lost, hurt, confused, scared, or becoming lunch for a hungry lion. They have no way to clean themselves.  They have a poor sense of direction. They can’t find water or proper pasture without guidance.  And the Bible says that we are like sheep;  all we like sheep have gone astray.  Jesus said in Matt. 9:36 that the Jews were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus said My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me.  David said we are the sheep of His pasture.  David likens himself to a sheep saying that the Lord was His shepherd in Psalm 23.

After Peter was restored to the Lord after his betrayal at the crucifixion, Jesus asked him three times if Peter loved Him.  And in response to Peter’s affirmation that he loved Him, Jesus said, feed my sheep, tend my sheep.   Jesus, who is titled the Great Shepherd of the sheep in this passage by Peter, has entrusted his sheep to shepherds who will tend his sheep and feed his sheep.

And now that the shepherds have been exhorted to be faithful, Peter turns his attention to the flock. He says in vs.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.”  Actually, in the Greek it is not necessarily addressed to young men, but those that are younger, or new, or youthful. So we may take that to be in contrast to the elders who are supposed to be spiritually mature, to those who are less so.

The first thing that Peter lays stress on is to be subject to the elders, or to the shepherd. Being subject to authority has been a constant theme in Peter’s epistle.  Wives are to be subject to their husbands.  Servants submissive to their masters.  All are to be subject to the government. And now we see that the church should be subject to the shepherd. 

Now that requires humility.  Because in our nature we like our independence.  Some even go so far as to say that they don’t need a pastor.  They don’t need to belong to a local flock.  And they certainly won’t submit to a shepherd’s leadership.  But that is not the attitude of humility that Peter says God approves of.  Submission requires humility. It requires humility to receive instruction.

So actually Peter quotes from Proverbs here to make his point that we need to clothe ourselves with humility. Proverbs 3:34 says, “Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor or grace.”  Pride is the original sin. Pride was the sin of Lucifer. And God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Humility is a willingness to give others first place, to show others consideration, to serve others,  to not think so highly of yourself that you cannot take instruction.  If a shepherd is faithful to expound the word of God, then the humble in heart will accept it as the word of God, and not find offense in being told what God has said.  Pride is really an offense towards God.  And an unwillingness to submit to the authority that God has ordained is rebellion not against man, or even against the church, but against God Himself.

And let us not forget, that judgment begins with the house of God.  God will hold you accountable for what you did with what you have received. And even though God places a stricter judgment upon the pastor/teacher, yet He will certainly also judge the one who is under the charge of the shepherd, but will not submit to the word of God spoken through the pastor.  God hates pride.  Let us submit to one another, and let us feast fully on the word of God, that we might grow in the grace of God.  

1 Peter 5:6 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,  casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”