Make Humility Your Hallmark

A message from 1 Peter 5:1-7 by Phil Draper 14/01/07

To listen to Phil's message click here m3u / mp3

Introduction

In NIV - 'To Elders and Young Men' (other versions 'The flock of God').

Peter is concerned about all the churches scattered all over what is today called Turkey and may have heard reports of some leaders behaving in a rather authoritarian way. He now addresses this concern with an appeal both to leaders and those under their leadership.

One overriding character attribute permeates this whole passage - humility .

1) A closer look at Humility

Humility - dictionary definitions -' Showing a modest or low estimate of one's own importance.'

Humility - what it isn't - Pride -extremely unattractive, indeed repulsive to us. Similarly, false humility is most unattractive to us.

Humility - at it's core- Philippians 2:3-4 - considering others better than yourself and taking account of their interests.

Jesus is the ultimate example, and he is better than any of us! Phil 3:5-9 Jesus-   relinquishing   rights and status.

'Humility is to make a right estimate of one's self.' - Charles Spurgeon   - being real before God.

We can't be truly humble unless we are secure in who we really are. And we can't be secure in who we are unless we know who we are significant to. We can't be truly significant unless we are significant to someone who is of really great significance - to God himself. It's who we are in God that enables us to be secure in who we are; then we can be truly humble. We can't know our significance to God unless we keep really close to Him - that's the key to humility.

My definition - 'Honouring others as though they are more important than ourselves.'

It doesn't come naturally! - So knowing who we are in God is a vital key.

2) Humility in action through 1 Peter 5

•  v1 - Humility modelled by Peter

A witness of Christ's sufferings - Think about Peter. After all he'd experienced, you see the effect that being with Jesus had had on him - humility permeating right through him

'I appeal to you - Appeal, urge, exhort - Peter is stressing that church leadership really needs to be taken seriously. When you see the task of the church into the context of changing people's eternal destinies from despair in hell to eternal wonder in the presence of God between nothing has higher stakes! Peter is appealing to leaders to keep in mind a big vision for what the church is all about, to not let it be driven off course by our natural inclination away from humility.

•  v2-4 - Humility to be modelled by church leaders

Be shepherds - Peter himself had been told by Jesus to feed the flock of God. Watching over as shepherds.

Serving as overseers - Not owners. It's not their flock but God's - serving as under-shepherds.

A leader's motivation - willingly.. eager to serve - not out of duty. If it's out of duty, a leader has lost their vision. And without vision, a leader isn't going anywhere and their followers will be all over the place (Prov 29:18).

Not greedy for money - No ulterior motives. Not for what you will get out of it.

Not lording it over (not as if you own them):- Danger, power at work!

A very different attitude to the world's attitude to power. People vote with their feet if lorded over.

In God's kingdom, power is power to serve.

Entrusted to you - serving as an elder is a place of trust, a privilege, not status. Elders don't have a higher status in the body of Christ, just a different way of serving exercising different gifts.

Being examples :- The servant heart of Christ washing his disciples feet.

Serving is often thankless - but there's a reward in heaven. (Ref Jesus' teaching in Matt 6 ]. Better not to seek your reward from a human being when there's a much better one awaiting you in heaven.

•  v5 - Humility to be emulated by all

Young men - applicable to all who are subject to leadership of any kind within church life.

Be submissive to - willing to yield. Submission doesn't mean never challenging or discussing issues with leaders. But if it comes to it, Peter is saying that those less experienced in the Christian life should give the benefit of the doubt to those God has given leadership responsibility to and defer to them.

Clothe yourselves with humility - Like a managing director wearing a servant's apron, wear humility. Like Jesus putting on a towel to wash his disciples feet.

It doesn't come naturally so we have to 'put it on'.

How?   - The importance of prayer - the attitude of prayer (excerpts from P. Yancey on Prayer)

Part of the fruit of the Spirit. Humility can't be 'worn' without keeping close to the Holy Spirit.

•  v5b-7 - The blessings of humility and submission

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble - There is a scriptural principle here that humility (particularly in regard to not seeking after power or authority) results in being exalted by God. (Jesus' parable in Luke 14:7-11 - For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted..

grace - undeserved favour, special blessings (LB)- to the humble.

Humble yourselves - Jesus' lesson to his disciples using a child as an example (Matthew 18:1-4)

Humility as the true measure of greatness in God's kingdom.

Under God's mighty hand - God has put people in authority over us to care for us and to serve us. Taking on humility and submitting/yielding is actually submitting to God's order. Submission is an act of faith.

Lift you up in due time - in his way and in his perfect time may not be immediate. When he knows you're ready. Probably when he knows we won't abuse our new position in him.

Cast all your anxiety - Other translations (e.g. NKJV) link this to previous phrase i.e. 'casting...'. If we're uptight about something, we really need to check whether pride is involved - a preoccupation about our rights and status. As part of our humbling yourselves, we throw ourselves upon God in dependence, abandoning all our cares about your status and position to him, otherwise we'll be eaten up with resentment about our situation.

Because he cares for you - ' Worry is unnecessary; there is no need for us to bear the burdens when He is willing and able to bear them for us. Worry is futile; it hasn't solved a problem yet.