251. A Witness And A Partaker.

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. - 1 Peter 5:1.

THE apostle's care. He was anxious that the elders should tend the flock of God, and make themselves examples to it.

The apostle's gentleness. "I exhort;" not command, etc.

The apostle's humility: "also an elder." He does not insist upon his apostleship, though this was much the greater office.

The apostle's wisdom— "also an elder." In this capacity he would have most weight with them in his exhortation.

Besides this, he mentioned two other characters, and calls himself "a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed."

I. A WITNESS OF THE SUFFERINGS Of CHRIST.

So far as possible, let us be witnesses with Peter. >1. An eye-witness of those sufferings. Apostles must have seen Jesus.

· He had seen the passion and death of our Lord.

In this we cannot participate, nor need we desire to do so.

2. A faith-witness of those sufferings.

· He had personally believed on Jesus at the first.

· He had further believed through after-communion with him.

3. A testifying witness of those sufferings.

· He bore witness to their bitterness when borne by Jesus.

· He bore witness to their importance as an atonement.

· He bore witness to their completeness as a satisfaction.

· He bore witness to their effect in perfect salvation.

4. A partaking witness of those sufferings.

· In defense of truth he suffered from opposers.

· In winning others he suffered in the anguish of his heart.

· In serving his Lord he suffered exile, persecution, death.

What he witnessed in all these ways became a motive and a stimulus for his whole life.

II. A PARTAKER OF THE GLORY TO BE REVEALED.

It is important to partake in all that we preach, or else we preach without vividness and assurance.

1.Peter had enjoyed a literal foretaste of the glory on the holy mount. We, too, have our earnests of eternal joy.

2.Peter had not yet seen the glory which shall be revealed, and yet he had partaken of it in a spiritual sense; our participation must also be spiritual. Peter had been a spiritual partaker in the following ways—

· By faith in the certainty of the glory.

· By anticipation of the joy of the glory.

· By sympathy with our Lord, who has entered into glory.

3.Peter had felt the result of faith in that glory—

· In the comfort which it yielded him.

· In the heavenliness which it wrought in him.

· In the courage with which it endowed him.

These two things, his witnessing and his partaking, made our apostle intense in his zeal for the glory of God. Because he had seen and tasted of the good word, he preached it with living power and vivid speech. Alt preachers need to be witnesses and partakers.

These made him urgent with others to "feed the flock of God." Such a man could not endure triflers.

These are the essentials for all eminently useful and acceptable service. The Lord will only bless witnesses and partakers.