How to Be a good Pastor

Intro

If you have been in any church for while you start form pinion

We have come to the final chapter of Peter’s first letter to the churches in Asia Minor. A letter about How to suffer well for the glory of God Especially when it is hard to endure.

And In the first 4 verses of chapter 5, the aged apostle Peter gives specific instructions to the pastors of these Churches.

He exhorts these “Elders” to stay faithful in their ministries until Christ returns.

I believe as Peter wrote these words to his fellow Pastors, He was remembering the charge that Jesus Gave him in John 21.

Remember the story? it's after the resurrection, and in Peter’s mind He has failed Jesus, because while Jesus was being tried for Crimes He did not commit, Peter stood outside by that small charcoal fire and denied Christ three times, even after he had just promised Jesus that He would stand faithful and even be willing to die to protect His master Jesus.

And Now in John 21 Peter -still broken because of what he had done- says Im going Fishing,,,,, and so along with James and John He went back to his old life as fishermen. They got in a boat and went out to fish all night long.

And as the sun was starting to come up they still had not caught any fish,

I got to believe in Peter’s mind he was thinking I failed at following Jesus and Now I cant even catch a fish, the one thing I’m suppose to be good at.

You know the story as they sat in their boat without any fish a man from shore yells out “cast their nets on the other side” they had nothing to lose so they listened and lowered their nets into the sea on the other side of the boat and immediately their nets where full to the point they started to rip..

and in that moment it says that John looked up and recognized the man as Jesus.

and when Peter heard this, he jumped out of the boat and swam to shore because even though He felt he had filled jesus , He stilled loved him with all His heart. He still wanted to follow Jesuss,

As Peter walked up onto that shore, soaking wet, He looked over toward Jesus who had started a small charcoal fire so that these fisherman could be warm and so that He could make them breakfast.

AsPeter sat by that fire I got to believe he probably stared into that flame and was remember the last charcoal fire he stood by in that courtyard whwere he denied XChrist three times,.

We pick up our story in verse 15

Look at the conversation Jesus has with Peter

John 21:15–17 (ESV) USE NET

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

Do you understand what Jesus was doing in this moment?

While Standing By a charcoal fire-Jesus asks Peter Three times "Do you love me?" And Peter 3 times says YES LORD YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU

And each time Jesus follows up Peter's affirmation with the command "Feed my lambs...Tend my sheep...Feed my sheep."

You see, Peter as the leader of the disciples, believed he had clearly failed that night when He denied Christ, He shamefully sought his own self-preservation instead of being an example for the other disciples to follow.

But now, through grace , Jesus in this moment, by a charcoal fire that reminded Peter of that night he denied Christ, is commissioning Peter to Shepherd His flock, To be a leader worth following, to love the church the way that He, as the GOOD SHEPHERD HAS Loved his church.

Jesus is calling Peter to care for God's people in a way he had not done before.

And so now when Peter writes in 1 Peter chapter 5 to other elders and pastors about how to shepherd the flock, he speaks from a heart that had failed at times, but also from a heart that had been restored through Grace.

Peter Understood how hard it was for him as a sheep to follow in the steps of the good Shepherd

and He understood how hard it is to stand up for Jesus in a world that wants to deny him as the Messiah.

And so when Peter addresses these Pastors He does so with great passion in his words.

Listen to Peter’s exhortation to other Pastors in our text in 1 Peter 5:1-4

1 Peter 5:1–4 (ESV)

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.

Peters point is simple- Its hard work to pastor well, But it is worth it!!!.

You may be sitting here thinking this morning “Well I dont need to listen since Im not a pastor.” but let me challenge you with this.

it s easier for sheep to follow a shepherd when they understand how and why He leads in the way that he does.

This morning I want us to take a few minutes to look at what Peter says A Good Pastor looks like in His ministry.

In a sense I am preaching to myself. and Friends Im not standing here thinking I am the model to follow.

In fact , My human nature would selfishly rather skip over this text so that I dont have to admit how I fail at shepherding the flock at times.

So as we study this together this morning, I am humbly asking you for your grace and patience as God continues to grow me into a shepherd that looks and Acts more and More like the Good shepherd in the way that I lead this church.

In verse 2 Peter Gives us the first of three responsibilities a Pastor must do well in order to be a good pastor.

I. Care for the Flock (v. 2)

The role of a pastor is likened to that of a shepherd caring for sheep in Scripture.

IN FACT THE definition of pastor is to Shepherd.

1 Peter 5:2 (ESV)

2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you,

Think about what would happen to a flock of sheep that was left on their own to survive without a shepherd.

it wouldn't take long for some of the sheep to wonder off and fall in a pit and die, it would take long for ravenous wolves to attack and kill some, it wouldn’t take long for the flock to run out of food and water or eat poisonous plants.

its the shepherd who leads feeds, and protects his flock of sheep, without the shepherd the sheep would surely perish.

A good shepherd doesn't follow His sheep He leads them.

he leads them where they need to go.

its the shepherds responsibility to lead the sheep to the place where they can find the nutrients they need to keep growing stronger.

But thats not all a good shepherd does, He also goes before them looking for anything that might harm them on their journey.

He looks for dangerous animals, for poisonous food, for holes in the ground and rushing waters that could sweep them away.

A good shepherd is always looking out for his sheep protecting them from anything that could harm them.

Like wise, it’s the pastor’s responsibility to lead , feed and protect the church,

A good pastor cares for his church by leading them to where they need to go not necessarily where they want to go, A good pastor leads his church in a way that encourages them to become more like Christ,

A good pastor cares for his church by feeding his flock a diet of the whole counsel of God .

As the Shepherd, its the pastors responsibility to make sure that those in his care are not eating a diet of unhealthy spiritual poison. But are feasting on the truths of Gods Word

A good pastor also cares for his church by Protecting the flock

When a sheep falls into a ravin its the shepherds responsibility to rescue that Sheep and to restore him back to the fold,

When a sheep gets sick its the shepherd who sees that his hurts are healed

When a sheep his tired its the shepherd who leads him to rest.

When A sheep has fallen prey to a dangerous animal its the shepherd who runs after to rescue that sheep.

You see Peter is saying Pastors you have been called by the good shepherd to protect the spiritual lives of the flock of God,

its the pastors role to comfort the distressed, to counsel the wavering, to encourage the weary, to admonish the erring, and to protect his flock from spiritual threats and false teachings that can quickly sneak in and ravish the church

Church family do you understand that when the sickness of sin comes into a church, the pastor has a responsibility to confront that sin so that it cannot fester and infect the entire flock.

A good pastor understands that he is simply the under-shepherd of the sheep that belong to Jesus,

He understands that he has been given the responsibility to care for Christ’s beloved sheep just as Christ would care for them if he were here physically himself.

Look with me at How Jesus Shepherds His flock

John 10:11–14 (ESV)

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

A good pastor knows the people he has been called to serve, A good pastor spends time among the people. He builds relationships with them, He gets to know them personally so that he can care for their spiritual needs.

TRANSITION Peter goes on in verse 2 and zeros i on the role that a pastor has been called to watch over the flock

(Read verse)

Watch Over the flock (v. 2 3a)

The term shepherd emphasizes the concept of caring for the souls of the church and protecting the flock from spiritual harm.

The term overseer is similar to shepherd in that it means to watch over others for their good.

it carries the concept that the pastor has the responsibility to over see the ministries of the church to make sure that they stay on mission and will not lead people astray.

In our text Peter says “Shepherd the flock that is among you and exercise oversight over them.”

The idea here is that the pastor is “among” and “over” the sheep at the same time.

Oversight is part of shepherding, its part of Gods Design for order in the church. But I believe Peter understood how hard this task is to do,

Illustration of Water work week - how one teen is over the others.

leader has a role- to make sure the group gets where they need to be, to make sure the group accomplishes their task, to make sure the group stays focused .

It’s difficult because the leaders of the group are among the other kids trying out for the same positon but at the same time they are over the other kids in their group giving evaluations on them.

Do you see how this can become a conflict at times?

Leaders dont always evaluate themselves on the same level they evaluate the others.

The same can be true in the church.

A pastor is among the sheep because he is also a sheep himself, He is called to live inunity with the church, He his called to the same Holy way as every other beleive, right? but he has also been given the responsibility as the overseer of the sheep..

Warren Weirsbe says the problem comes when

Some people try to emphasize the “among” relationship and refuse to follow the authority of the shepherd. and Others want to put the pastor on a pedestal and make him a “super saint” who never mixes with the people.

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 429.

Friends both of these ideas are toxic.

A good Pastor needs to be among the people, so he can get to know them by name, so he can care for their needs and know their problems, but He also needs to be “over” them so he can lead them spiritually and help them grow in their maturity in Christ.

Peter understood how hard the relationship between the church and a pastor overseer can be, especially when a pastor does not do what he has been called to do.

Friends, understand that Pastors are tempted to sin every day of their lives too, even while they sit in their offices studying God’s Word.

—-Pastors still struggle with the same selfish human nature that you struggle with each day.

And so Peter in the next 2 verses addresses the motivation a pastor must have if he is going to avoid sin and pastor well as the overseer of the flock

1 Peter 5:2–3 (ESV)

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.

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the first thing peter says about a good pastor is that they

DONT’ VIEW YOUR MINISTRY AS A JOB BUT AS A CALLING- AS AN OPPORTUNITY to Serve others.

in first 1 Timothy 3:1 Paul is describing the qualifications for a pastor and the very first thing he says is

1 Timothy 3:1 (ESV)

1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.

Serving the church must be done with the proper motive, Not because you feel you have, but because you have a God given desire to serve His church.

A good pastor does not look at his ministry as a job that he has to do. He shepherds the flock willingly because he has been given a pastors heart-

When a man has a pastors heart,He desires to shepherd the flock , He desires to care for the sheep, He desires to lead them spiritually.

Peter’s point is this — a good pastor doesn't view his ministry as a 9-5 job he has to do in order to afford the things he really wants in this life,- He sees his ministry as an opportunity to willingly serve the body of Christ whenever and wherever and however they need to be served.

Transition: 1 Peter 5:2-3 Peter goes on and says Pastors use your oversight “ Not for shameful gain, but eagerly”

He says pastors should be motivated.= not by what they can get out of it, but motivated by their eagerness to serve the church.

TO be a good pastor means that you are not greedy and wanting people to serve you But that you are eager to serve others

DONT BE GREEDY and work just for money BUT Be EAGER TO SERVE the church

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay your pastor.

In fact 1 Tim. 5 says we should pay worthy pastors a double portion

What Peter is saying is that money should not be the motivation for a pastor to serve those in the church.

a good pastor is not to be a lover of money, He is to serve the church because He has a heart that is eager to serve.

Friends a good pastor doesn't have the goal of financial wealth , he has a goal of seeing his church become Spiritually wealthy in their knowledge and obedeince to christ.

TRANSITION : #3 Peter says a good pastor does not lead as a dictator but as an example to follow

LOOK AT THE VERSE.. 1 PETER 5:3

1 Peter 5:3 (ESV)

3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

Peter says Pastors…

DONT BE AN OVERLORD WHO DEMANDS OTHERS FOLLOW Him but instead He must live as AN EXAMPLE THAT IS WORTHY TO BE FOLLOWED

Pastors should never lord their authority over those entrusted to them, but instead should be someone who is worthy to be followed..

One of the most toxic ministries a man can have is when he leads like a dictator in his church.

When he worries more about who is serving him over who He is serving in the church.

When he cares more about having his wished done then he does about caring for the flock.

Illustration: Cow drive

Have you ever seen a cattle drive in person or even on tv.?

The cowboys, on their horses, Release the heard of cows out of the pen and they begin to push them in the direction they want the cows to go.

They ride behind the cows pushing them so that they keep moving. When one cow veers off course- they ride over and cut the cow off pushing him back to the heard, When they want the group to turn they ride up on the opposite side and push the cows in the new direction.

This is how you move cattle - you use force, You yell at them - You poke them- You push them where you want them to go so that they know you are the boss and do what You want them to do.

Friends this is what a pastor who lords his authority over the church looks like.

` He pushes people into the direction he wants them to go.

He forces them down a path that they have never seen,

he corrects them harshly,

he treats them as a lower than himself.,

He makes them turn at any moment and go a different direction than where they have been headed.

He is harsh, he is unloving He has no intimate care for the people.

His goal is to get the church to look and act like He thinks they should be.

Thank God He did not call his church cattle…. He called us his sheep

A shepherd doesn't drive his sheep he leads them, He goes before them,He shows them the safe path to follow.

a good shepherd looks out for dangers that can harm his flock and leads them in a different direction,

a good shepherd loves his sheep, he knows them by name, he talks gently to them, He runs after them when they stray and He disciples them with love so that they will not falter again.

Friends this is what a good pastor should look like.

He should live a life that is worthy to be followed.

He should lovingly correct those who faulter,

He should encourage the weary and the week to stay faithful

He should lead them to water and not drive them

a good pastor leads by setting the example of what a servant leader looks like in a believer’s life.

Finally in verse 4 Peter wraps up this exhortation by saying that a Pastor should have one desire

1 Peter 5:4 ESV

4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Peter is saying if you are a good Pastor, and do what is right, When the chief shepherd - jesus Christ- returns He will reward your faithfulness with the unfading crown of Glory.

A good Pastor is motivated By …

A Desire to Please Christ Alone

Peter wants these pastors to not lose sight of their ultimate goal,

and that is to point the sheep they have been entrusted to lead towards the good shepherd,.

The greatest goal for every under- shepherd should be to hear those words from the good shepherd when he returns for his flock

“Well DONE THOU GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT”

A good and faithful pastor is careful in how He cares for the flock because he understands that He will one day stand before the good shepherd and give an account on how well He shepherded the flock that Christ entrusted him to lead.

BRING IT HOME

So what does all of this mean for the sheep?

So what should our response be towards our pastors?

1Pray for them because they are sinners just like you and are tempted by satan every day just like you.

Do you understand that Satan hates pastors and He wants to destroy them and their churches.

Pray that they are growing in their walk wit jesus

Pray that they do not waver from the truths of scripture

pray that they do not get discouraged with the weight of carrying the burdens of the sheep

pray that they stay humble in the way they lead

pray that satan doesn't tempt them to be an overlord instead of an overseer

Pray that they will see your sin and step into your life

pray that God will bless their ministry

and pray that they will serve well so that they may hear those word “well done thou good and faithful servant”.

Obey and submit to their leadership

Hebrews 13:17 (ESV)

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Friends you are all called to obey and submit to your pastor’s leading in your life.

Not because they are exalted above you,

not because they are without sin,

but because you understand that God in his wisdom knew that like sheep everyone of us would wonder astray if we are left without a shepherd.

I love how the author of Hebrews says “ let them do this with joy and not with groaning for that would be to no advantage to you.

Meaning “Dont be a booger in the church!” Dont be the thorn in your pastors flesh. Dont be someone who is known as always causing problems for the pastor, Dont be the reason your pastor wants to leave the ministry.

Be a sheep that is a joy for the pastor to shepherd. Be his encourager?

Why Well Peter says “Because when your pastor likes serving you you get served.

Finally Be part of serving the church yourself,

Be willing to come along side your pastor and serve the church.

be part of what God is doing in and through the church.

it is so much more joyful when you join in the mission of the church instead of trying to nitpick everything the pastor does.

Let me close by sharing my heart as your pastor

I am so thankful for each one of you.

And when I say I love being your pastor I mean it.

As look around this room, everyone of You make my ministry here in clear lake a joy.

My desire as your pastor is to know you, to love you, to server you and to humbly lead you.

and I ask you to pray fervently for me that I will pastor this church well for the glory of God. And I ask you to not just sit by and see what God is doing, but to join in the ministry of the gosple- Be part of what God is doing here in CL.