Leaders of Integrity: A Divine Call to Humility
Notes
Transcript
The passage often called, “The Mind of Christ” is an important passage to study. It helps us to understand Jesus better and to understand what we are supposed to do as church members.
But we need to back up a couple of verses and make sure to read verse 3-4.
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
We have a tendency to want to be recognized, a desire for others to see us in a good light. And so we act one way at certain times and another way at other times. I don’t mean those times we make a mistake but those times we choose to put on a certain face for other people.
Our passage today helps us to see how church leadership and church membership should be toward each other. It is also an example of what people outside of church should see when they look into church.
Turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 5 and follow along as I read our passage.
1 Therefore, I urge elders among you, as your fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and one who is also a fellow partaker of the glory that is to be revealed:
2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not with greed but with eagerness;
3 nor yet as domineering over those assigned to your care, but by proving to be examples to the flock.
4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God is opposed to the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.
1. Lead Like the Shepherd
Christ was sinless so that the sinless could take the place of the sinful.
This was the only way that we could ever have the forgiveness of our sins. It was the only way that the price, the consequences of our sins could be completely forgiven.
But there is more to Christ being sinless than forgiveness of our sins. Understanding that Christ was without sin, even original sin, is crucial for His role as the head of the church.
A reason that this view is important is because Jesus is the example we should strive to be. That level of perfection isn’t something we can ever achieve but we should all work at being more and more Christ-like; especially our leaders.
We each have our ways to measure who we vote for, whether it is party affiliated or whether the say they will do certain things. What we should look at is how they compare to Christ, how they follow Scripture. Sadly, today, I don’t think we have very many who really put Christ first in their life and we are left with voting on the least worst. Still, when we do have elections, I pray that you will look to the men who embody the most Christ-like lives.
Leadership in the church is something that is just as critical for us as our elected officials. After all, church leadership is what will shape the spiritual lives of the future church. And those lives should be a reflection of Christ to us as well.
Recognizing that all of our leaders, both in and out of the church are humans, are born with original sin and also will sin, they will not be perfect but Peter gives us what we should see in our church leaders.
Peter says that the elders are to shepherd the flock, to exercise oversight. They are to do this voluntarily and with eagerness.
The idea of shepherding the church can be seen throughout the OT. Probably the most known is Psalm 23 and is a perfect example of what Jesus did throughout His ministry.
If you have watched shepherds, they walk among the sheep, they often lead by walking in front of the sheep. Their job requires them to protect, guide and feed the sheep.
This is an apt description of what the elder in each church is tasked with. While they are called to shepherd the sheep, they must also remember the sheep belong to God, not to themselves.
To shepherd the sheep, to provide oversight, the elder must do this voluntarily and with eagerness. Think about those two words and Jesus. We can see that Jesus embodied these requirements.
We are familiar with Philippians 2:5-11. This passage shows us how Jesus voluntarily came to earth and lived as a man. I like the way this passage shows that God the Son chose not to use His authority as God to live as a man. He emptied Himself, He humbled Himself. It was a choice, it shows that He volunteered to become Jesus.
We also see in His own words how eager He was.
15 And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;
Jesus was eager to eat that Passover meal with His disciples but that also meant He was eager to suffer and fulfill His mission.
So elders must serve their congregation voluntarily and be eager to do so.
2. Exemplify Leadership Humbly
Do you remember the old cliche, Do as I say, not as I do.
I think that is one of the worse things you can say but even more, it is one of the worse things you can actually live.
I grew up with a dad who smoked. I loved my father and there were many things that I wanted to copy from him. One of which was smoking. As soon as I was able to start sneaking cigarettes from him, I would. Me and a friend that lived down the street would meet and sit outside in the woods smoking, feeling as if we were cool. I can also remember the times of getting caught and having him tell me I was not allowed to smoke and he didn’t want to catch me smoking again and doing this while he had a lit cigarette in his hand.
Which do you think I paid attention to the most; his words or his actions.
An elder must work to make sure their walk and their talk match up. But we must also understand, we each fail and that includes elders. Peter probably understood this the best.
He started this passage by counting himself as a fellow elder. Not just a fellow elder but one who witnessed the suffering of Christ. There are many things that probably come to mind when we think about Peter. I believe one of the first things that might come to mind before his death was his denial of Jesus.
59 And after about an hour had passed, some other man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he, too, is a Galilean.”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” And immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.
61 And then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”
62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
At the beginning of the time for Jesus to suffer, Peter stood within sight of Jesus and denied he even knew Jesus; not just one time but three times.
Peter’s story doesn’t stop there. The story of redemption also shows how Jesus sought Peter and made sure that he knew the cross applied to him to. Days before, Peter stood denying Jesus yet Jesus makes sure Peter knows forgiveness.
While many would think about Peter and the time he denied Jesus; we must also include that Jesus forgave him and still used him as a mafor leader in the new church.
When a person fails, we are quick to point out their failure. Jesus on the other hand was quick to hold out his hand and lift that person back up. That requires humility on the part of Jesus.
It should also make us humble knowing Jesus has done precisely that with each of us. That should humble us; that should make the elder one of the most humble people in church.
3. Embrace Shared Humility
As members of the church, we are to also share in that humility.
Peter helps to motivate the elders with one of the best reasons; the second coming. Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd, will honor the faithful pastor-shepherds with the crown of glory. This is not a physical crown to wear but is instead the glory of being accepted by God.
The phrase “young men” is probably better translated, better understood as people. It is a term that encompasses both men and women who are under the authority of the elder.
People in the church are supposed to submit or subject themselves to the shepherds who are under the authority of Jesus Christ. Too often there are members in churches who think it is their job to oversee the pastor-shepherds instead of submitting to them.
I believe Peter teaches us in this passage that pastors are the leader of a church but must be in submission to God while at the same time serve the church. Also, the members are to be subject to the pastor-shepherd. If either of these are not done then we allow Satan to enter the church and start to break it down.
The pastor and the people should always conduct themselves humbly. If the pastor becomes proud they are no longer following or listening to God. If the people reject the authority of the pastor they are no longer acting humbly but are wanting to place themselves in the role of the Holy Spirit.
When the church operates like this, with a combination of godly leadership and submissive followership, that attitude will flow throughout the congregation and show respect of everyone.
Being humble puts others first.
Being humble means you understand your weakness and turn to God for His strengths.
Being humble means you are thankful for God’s grace to you and show it by sharing grace with others.
Being humble means you serve others.
A pastor shared this story:
In my neighborhood, there’s a man who always helps others, be it mowing lawns or fixing bikes, without ever wanting praise. One day, I finally asked him why he does it. He simply smiled and replied, 'Someone taught me that when you serve others, you really serve God.' This reflects Colossians 3:23, illustrating that true humility is not about being noticed, but about lifting others without expecting anything in return.
If we spend out time serving others, we are in fact serving God.
The only way to serve others is by being humble servants. We can never be of service to people or God by being selfish or greedy.
Let’s pray.
