Lesson 19: Purpose for being set apart – servant-leadership

Read 1 Peter 5:1-14- https://www.bible.com/bible/59/1pe.5
 1 So 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:
2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
5 Likewise, 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.”

In this last chapter of 1 Peter, we find two purposes named why God wants us to be holy, or set apart. The first is found in these verses today where we read about a unique kind of leadership.

Peter tells us in the first verse of our verses today that leadership can only begin with a personal relationship with Jesus. We must understand His suffering and be familiar with His glory. None of us today can have the same personal relationship with Jesus that Peter had, because Peter personally walked and talked with Jesus every day for over three years – you and I cannot see or touch Him or share a meal with Him today. We must walk with Him by faith (Hebrews 11:6).


Every one of us who belongs to Jesus will have some responsibility as a leader. We may not be a pastor or a teacher or a church leader, but we are royal priests – remember lesson 8? Most of us will be leaders to our own families. Our children or our brothers and sisters who do not know Jesus will be watching our life as we lead by example and by loving them unconditionally – just as Jesus loves us. Sometimes God will give us more leadership opportunities with friends or neighbors, and sometimes even in our church.

Whatever leadership responsibility God gives, we must be careful never to use it for personal power. Jesus told Peter and the rest of the disciples that the person who wanted to be the greatest must be the servant of all – Matthew 23:11. We must always remember we are not leading anyone for our own purpose, or to make ourselves great; we lead everyone to Jesus – the focus is on Him.

One last instruction in these verses is to those who are still young. It is an instruction to keep free of pride. When we are young it is easy for us to try to measure ourselves by someone next to us. We can always find some way we are better than someone else – we know more about a subject, we have better friends, we are in the IN crowd, we dress better, we look better. We especially tend to think ourselves better than someone who is older who may not have as much modern education as we have, or we are far better at technology than someone older. In this last verse, Jesus reminds us we must never be proud, because God hates pride (Proverbs 6:16).

*Thought question: Who will get the crown of glory?