THE FLOCK OF GOD

The flock of God is the focus of 1 Peter 5. In concluding his letter, Peter offers a word of exhortation, (v. 1, 12), to the church—God’s flock. It is an exhortation to the shepherds and to the sheep. 

He begins with THE CHARGE TO THE SHEPHERDS, (v.1-5). The example of the shepherds and their exposition of the Scriptures are vital for the health of the sheep. As shepherds, pastors are called to feed, lead, and bleed for the sheep. They feed them by proclamation of the Word, lead them by demonstration of the way, and are willing to bleed for them in provision for their welfare.  

These do not work for material gain, but wait for eternal glory. This labor is not to be viewed as a drudgery we’ve got to do, but as a delight we get to do!

The gravity of our responsibility as pastors rests in the reality that the church is not ours, but belongs to Christ. They are not cattle to be driven by domineering, but sheep to be led by demonstration. While we will certainly exhort them, we must be an example to them. You better practice what you preach!  Jesus loves every lamb and we had better. There will be an accountability faced at the Judgment Seat of Christ. If we have been faithful to care for the flock, a special crown awaits the shepherd. 

There is no place for egotism. It is a grace that we are called to serve and it is grace that enables us to serve. Let us clothe ourselves—not with robes of royalty, but dress ourselves in humility.

Peter, then moves to THE CAUTION TO THE SHEEP, (v.6-14). The enemy of the sheep—the devil—is a ravenous, roaring lion. Lambs are no match for lions. They are not fast enough to flee and not fierce enough to fight. Yet, as we humbly admit that, we have available the power of God to strengthen us. Indeed, we are no match for the devil, but he is no match for the Chief Shepherd!  

So, this is a call to humility, (v. 6). A prideful attitude assures us of being overcome. It turned a beautiful angel into a demonic spirit, and Satan uses the same ploy to get at us. 

There is further a caution against anxiety, (v.7). The roar of the lion is meant to paralyze us with fear. We are to cast all our cares on the Lord, knowing that He cares for us!

Then, we have a command for sobriety, (v. 8 ). By no means do we ignore the peril with naïveté, but have an awareness with sobriety. We are not to be afraid, but we are to stay alert. The danger is real. The devil wants to destroy and devour the flock. 

We must have stability, (v.9). Do not race off, but brace up!  Should we have to suffer for our stand, do not back down. Satan will use his minions to attack us. He hates us. This world is not a friend to grace. Others have suffered for the cause across the centuries, and in many countries do so today. Why should we think to be the exception?  

Trust in God’s sovereignty, (v.10-11). The Lord reigns!  Christ is conqueror. The grace of God will usher us into the glory of God. 

Abide in the community, (v.12-14). We are not in this alone. There is a community of faith to encourage us. Love on one another. There is a refuge in the church for the believer—an oasis of peace. We may have peace of mind, because of our peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen.

WHO’S YOUR ONE? Day 15

The Lord Opens Hearts

“A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭16:14‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Opportunities to share the gospel can happen at unexpected times, and we have to be vigilant to recognize them when they come. Paul and his companions went to sit by a river to pray. When they found the space occupied, they engaged the women who were there. It is here we witness God open the heart of Lydia in response to Paul’s proclamation of the gospel.

We never know the degree to which God is working in a person’s heart, but we can depend on God to open the hearts of those we share the gospel with. God and His Word are sufficient to do the heavy lifting in our evangelism. Remain faithful to share His Word. You never know who may be listening and whose heart will be opened.

Pray you would be ready to share the gospel in the unexpected moments of life this week. (From “Who’s Your One?” Devotional, NAMB)

THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD: THE TRUST WE CAN HAVE

“For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37)

When God gives a promise, He delivers!

TRUST HIM TO SAVE YOU.  “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb.7:25). He lifts us from the “gutter-most” and saves us to the uttermost!  You are never so bad, He cannot cleanse you; never so far gone, He cannot reach you. Call on the Savior!

TRUST HIM TO SANCTIFY YOU. “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”  (Heb.2:18). The old boy said, “I can overcome anything except temptation!”  You may not, but God can. He will come  to your aid and fend away the foe, if you will cry to Him.
‭‭
TRUST HIM TO SECURE YOU. “concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.” (Heb.11:19).  Death is our gravest fear, and yet death is not match for the Lord of Life!

What do we have to worry about?

Our faith is too feeble because we do not meditate on the magnitude of His might.  Our prayers are too puny because our faith is too feeble to dare ask big things.  Our work is too weak because our prayers are too puny.  Consequently, the church today whines instead of wins, and has a siege mentality instead of a storm the gates of hell spirit.  Remember and rest in the assurance that nothing is impossible with our omnipotent God!

GOD AND GOD ALONE

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
‭‭(1 Timothy 1:17)

We live in a sound-bite culture.  Communication has been reduced to texts and tweets.  Even the very names of social media convey the brevity and immediacy of communication—we have Instagram and Snapchat.  I fear the result is that we are developing the attention span of a gnat and are losing our capacity to think deeply.

Many churches have just decided to go with the flow—and today if you go to one of those you will get a sermonette.  My concern is that sermonettes produce Christianettes!

So, at the church I serve, we have decided to resist the tide, and ask you to think deeply—and specifically to stretch your mind in an attempt to comprehend the incomprehensible.

God is a subject so vast, we will never—not even in eternity—exhaust the end of a Being who is boundless.  The study however is mind-blowing, heart-gripping, and life-changing.  Just look at what is contained in this one verse!  Zero in on this phrase: “God who alone is…” and stop right there!  God IS—He just IS!  He IS self-existent and self-sufficient.  That will be the truth we will meditate on this week.  Let us drink deeply from the fountain of Scripture!

THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD

It seems we are in a perpetual election campaign in America. No more does one candidate get elected than the other party begins to plot how to defeat him or her in the next election. Yet, there is no guarantee there will be another election. Nations rise and nations fall.  History is strewn with the bones of once mighty empires—and their destruction can be rapid.  If America endures, the current occupant of the White House will be reelected or there will be a new resident. At some point, the party out of power will come to power—that has been the pattern.  The pattern is not an ironclad assurance though, for nations are born, and nations die. Elections are important. Elections have consequences. What God elects to do, however, is the supreme decision. It’s not up to our vote!  Despite political turmoil, we, as God’s people, can have hope, peace, and joy—for the resident of the White House may change, but the One residing on the Great White Throne does not!  He has been there for eternity and will always be—ruling as King of kings and Lord of lords! God is sovereign.  If He is not sovereign over all things, then He is not God at all!  His kingdom will come no matter what opposition arises.  Weigh these words:

“Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth. Why should the Gentiles say, ‘So where is their God?’ But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.” (Ps.115:1-3).

WEREWOLF OF BABYLON

That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.   (Daniel 4:33)

When I was a kid, I loved to watch monster movies.  I found them both fascinating and frightening.  My favorite movies were of the Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney, Jr.  He was a good man, until the full moon, and then he became a bloodthirsty creature.  He didn’t want to do that, but the tortured soul could only be put out of misery by a silver bullet fired from a gun held by the hand of someone who loved him.  I can recall the words of the old gypsy, Maleva, who said, “Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.”  The movie was rooted in European legends rising from a form of insanity known as lycanthropy.  Such madness gripped the monarch of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar.  It was sent as a judgment of God upon his pride.  Before there was a film and a song about werewolves of London, there was the werewolf of Babylon!

Impressed by the miraculous deliverance of the three Hebrew youths from the fiery furnace, we find the king issuing a decree concerning the greatness of their God (Dan.4:1-3). Yet, there is no personal confession of a penitent who has come to faith, just an acknowledgment of the God of the Jews as being the greatest among gods.  Many a politician still finds it useful to talk about God, while giving little evidence of true conversion.  One may know the vocabulary of the Good Book without knowing the Author!

The story continues to unfold with a nightmare the king has (Dan.4:4-18).  In the midst of immense luxury and the trappings of power, we find a troubled man.  Sin will do that.  Conscience pains the wicked—they are likened to a storm-tossed ocean.  He summons the soothsayers who have no answers.  How foolish people are to try to find a message for their future in astrology, palmistry, and such!  It is the man of God who has the Word of God—Daniel, in this case—who can give guidance.

Though delivering a word of judgment to this malevolent monarch might mean the prophet would lose his head, Daniel proclaims the truth, nonetheless (Dan.4:19-27).  Such threats never silenced Elijah, not stopped John the Baptist.  Daniel shows his compassion in being alarmed more for the king than his own life.  I wonder in these days when judgment seems imminent, are the people of God more concerned about their own preservation than the salvation of sinners?  The coming of judgment on this nation and its leaders should not surprise us.  Daniel reminds us here that God is sovereign.  Nations rise and fall; rulers come and go; God rules!

Nebuchadnezzar was given opportunity to repent, but refused (Dan.4:28-33) and retribution fell.  God was patient, but at last the deadline was crossed.  The madness that descended on him—his lycanthropy—brought on the behavior of a beast.  Really, it just revealed what was in his heart!  This is how sin degrades us.

After seven years of this, sanity is restored by a gracious God (Dan.4:34-37).  The king is more than willing to humble himself and confess the glory of God.  Nebuchadnezzar never forgot this lesson—and neither should we!