Shepherd the Flock, Part 2

Conduct in Exile  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  45:27
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Recap

Last week we spoke about Elders.
We covered how Peter was tying the job of elders into Christ.
Jesus was the good shepherd.
We covered how we don’t want to be like the wicked shepherds in Ezekiel.
We also went over the qualifications for elders.

Shepherd the Flock of God

When we shepherd, it isn’t our flock.
This church isn’t our church, it’s God’s church.
We don’t want to make it into our image, but the image of God.
“I don’t recognize my church.” It isn’t your church, it’s God’s church.
RJ was a painting apprentice under a well known painter. If he deviated from the instruction, the question was raised.
“Why are you doing it that way? I didn’t teach you that.”
As leadership is shepherding the flock of God, we must do it His way. We aren’t called to do what we think is best, but how God calls us to lead.
We continue to refine and reform our worship to make sure that we are directed not towards our own interests, but to God’s interests.
1 Corinthians 3:4-6
1 Corinthians 3:4–6 ESV
4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
We are called to shepherd God’s way, He is the one who gives the increase.
Does a farmer take all the credit for his harvest? He may have used wisdom in when he planted, and harvesting before the frost. But the amount of growth that came from the crop wasn’t becasue he had the power to cause the growth. God did that.
We must lead the flock, remembering that they are God’s flock.

Oversight

You must lead.
You must examine those who are in the flock.
Call sin, sin. Calling the flock to repentance so that we may continue to grow as the church of God.
Flock, if we come to you with instruction. If we must rebuke you for sin.
Don’t get your nose pinned on crooked.
We aren’t trying to be tyrants.
We are trying to be faithful to what God has called us to, knowing that we will have to give an account for how we took care of God’s flock.
Exercising oversight means doing it God’s way, for God’s glory.

Willingly

We aren’t to be leading because we have to.
When leading, you are being invited to participate in the work of God taking place around you.
God could do it without you. But He wants you to desire to join.
1 Timothy 3:1
1 Timothy 3:1 ESV
1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
Noble being something that is good, something that is distinguished.
Men we must be open to the calling of God, to step up as the Spirit leads.
As God would have you
God desires men to step up and lead.

Eagerly

Do you realize that being able to serve God, is a reward itself?
The eagerness comes from a desire to worship God, and desiring to see others worship God correctly.
We are not to be looking at what we can gain from leadership.
I’m so glad that we live in a world where people don’t ask, “what’s in it for me?”
When it comes to ecclesiastical jobs, or jobs within the church. That question should not enter our minds.
We will also receive rewards in heaven from God Himself.
Forms of selfish gain:
Gaining popularity by adulterating the gospel.
Pastors who preach another gospel.
Who preach that the good news is something other than Jesus dying for our sins.
Galatians 1:8
Galatians 1:8 “8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”
Let him be destroyed for God’s sake.
We see this by:
Preaching that Jesus is all love; it’s a different Jesus.
Preaching that repentance isn’t necessary.
Preach a very worldly gospel, where God wants you to be rich, or that you shouldn’t have any sickness or pain.
Shepherds must even be careful when we begin making church a tool for evangelism, rather than teaching the saints about God.
A time will come where instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns feeding the goats. C.H. Spurgeon
All these shepherds are preaching a different gospel for shameful gain.
Elders must recognize the worthiness of the ministry, and we willing to do what God would have you do, no matter the cost.

As Examples

Elders are called to live exemplary lives, leading the sheep that way. Not by domineering over them.
Think of Jesus, the good shepherd. Who humbled himself and gave up his life for the sheep.
Jesus tells us
Mark 10:43-45
Mark 10:43–45 ESV
43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
You want to lead, you must serve.
The elders don’t just say “you need to follow the commandments of God.”
The elders must follow the commandments.
They encourage you read your bibles.
They must read their bibles.
They don’t say you must raise your kids correctly.
They must raise their kids correctly.
This is why the it is important for potential elders to be examined against Titus 1.
I will remind you, that these are things that all Christians should be doing anyways. It isn’t a special command only for those in leadership.

Chief Shepherd

The title Chief shepherd shows the superiority of Christ.
It needs to be a reminder once again that He is the sovereign, not us.
He is the one who has the authority to say how the sheep are to be raised, what the sheep are to be fed.
It is the responsibility of the shepherd to make sure that we are tending to the sheep as the Chief shepherd has prescribed.
The Chief shepherd, reminds the elders who we must answer to.
Hebrews 13:20
In Hebrews 13:20 He is called the Great Shepherd. Showing the excellencies of our Shepherd.
He isn’t just the Shepherd who is sovereign over all, but He is a perfect shepherd.
This in contrast to the worthless shepherds in Isaiah and Ezekiel.
A reminder to the people, your shepherds, your elders will fail sometimes.
We are not the Chief Shepher nor the Great Shepherd.
We are imperfect shepherds who strive to lead the way our Chief Shepherd calls us to.
But we will do that imperfectly.

Be Subject to the Elders

v.5
God knowing all this still says, “let them lead.”
Make sure that you humble yourself under who God has placed as leadership in the church.
God has placed me here, as the head pastor in Canyon Community Church to lead.
He has placed other elders in this church, to join me in leadership becasue there is safety in the abundance of counselors (Prov 11:14).
But it is important to be humble enough to receive our direction, and to be graceful when we make mistakes as we try our best by the grace given to us, to follow the Chief shepherd.
In the end, it’s not about us, it’s about God. Let’s exalt him with the way that we live.
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