Serving God with Humility - a podcast by Lewis Marsh

1^st Peter, Living as Sojourners & Exiles

Pt. 9: Serving God with Humility

By Louie Marsh, 7-30-2023

 

1) If your gift is leading – LEAD.

 

“¹So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ²shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight…(1 Peter 5:1–2a, ESV)

 

·       Biblical leadership is all about CHARACTER.

 

“⁷Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7, ESV)

 

·       Christ-like leadership is always marked by HUMILITY.

 

“³⁰He must increase, but I must decrease.”” (John 3:30, ESV)

 

·       Servant Leadership is BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP.

 

“²⁶It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,” (Matthew 20:26, ESV)

 

·       But SKILL has its place.

 

“²⁹Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” (Proverbs 22:29, ESV)

 

2) Lead like JESUS, eager to please God.

 

…not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;”  “³not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. ⁴And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (1 Peter 5:2b–4, ESV)

 

·       Jesus is the “Chief Shepherd,” I am only an UNDER-SHEPHERD.

 

“²³And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.” (Ezekiel 34:23, ESV)

 

·       Eagerly = voluntarily

 

“¹The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” (1 Timothy 3:1, ESV)

 

·       My motive for leading should be to PLEASE GOD  not money or other kinds of rewards.

 

“³not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.” (1 Timothy 3:3, ESV)

 

3) God is greatly pleased with the HUMBLE.

 

“⁵Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” ⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:5–7, ESV)

 

·       Clothe yourselves with humility= Every part of me must be covered with a Christlike humility.

 

The kindred word ἐγκόμβωμα, from which the verb is directly formed, means a slave’s apron, under which the loose garments were girt up…the figure carries an exhortation to put on humility as a working virtue employed in ministry. This is apparent from the evident reminiscence of that scene in which Peter figured so prominently—the washing of the disciples’ feet by the Lord, when he girded himself with a towel as a servant, and gave them the lesson of ministry both by word and act. Bengel paraphrases, “Put on and wrap yourselves about with humility, so that the covering of humility cannot possibly be stripped from you.” - Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 1 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 668.

 

“⁴⁵For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” (Mark 10:45, ESV)

 

·       GIVE UP my worries to God!

 

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