Pure Leadership

Good morning

It’s good to be with all of you again

We are in the homestretch of this six week series on what it means to be a pure church

And as we have been talking about what it means to be a pure church, we have been using a definition of purity

That purity is alignment with the word will of God

And we have seen multiple different areas in which we have in one way or another been OUT of alignment

and we’ve seen how we desperately we need to get into alignment with the word and the will of God, if we are to be a pure church

And what I am sure you have noticed in this series is that it has been a relatively confrontational series

Each week we have been confronted with a way that we have grown accustomed to viewing things in the church

and have been confronted with the fact that so often our view of things in the church is based in what we think and what we want

and so we need to repent of flawed ways of thinking and align ourselves with what God says and what God wants

And this week is no exception because we are going to be confronted with a pure view of leadership in the church

And it is going to be a vision of leadership that is very different than what we are familiar with in our society

So would you open your Bibles to 1 Peter 5.

[If you didn’t bring a Bible, there should be one under a seat nearby]

We have two very significant dynamics in our society that impact the way we view leadership

First dynamic is the kind of government that we have

Our government is a democratic republic in which the people hold the power and elect officials to represent them.

The second dynamic is a general skepticism and rejection of authority in our culture

Because of the way that authority has been misused, we have a general hesitance to trust leaders

The general air that we breathe when it comes to leadership is that we should be skeptical of those in authority

And when you put these two things together… Our democratic government and our general skepticism…

the general view of leadership and authority in our society is that I will follow you when you advance my agenda,

but as soon as you don’t, I will be skeptical of you and I will reject your authority

[Hook] And I am deeply concerned for us as a church that we view leadership in the church the same way

That we would think that church leaders exist to make sure that I am getting what I want out of church…

and as soon as they lead in a direction I don’t like or point out something about my life that needs to change…

I can reject their authority because I think I know better.

[I can tell, this is going to be a fun time for us this morning…]

If we have any hope of being a pure church that aligns with the word and will of God, it will require that we align our view of leadership in the church with God’s word and will

What we need as a church family is to be confronted with the vision of leadership that Scripture gives… and it will be entirely different from the way the world sees leadership.

And Peter gives us that vision in 1 Peter 5, so let’s give these words our full attention.

1 Peter 5:1–5 ESV

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: 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; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 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.”

There are God’s words for us as his people - May we have ears to hear them and hearts to obey them.

Big Idea: A pure church is led toward Christ. [6:00]

And the emphasis of that big idea is on the word “led”

A pure church is not one in which everyone does what is right in his own eyes

A pure church is not one in which people pursue Christ on their own and just happen to come together once a week

A pure church is a church that is actively and intentionally led toward Christ by those whom God has appointed to the task of shepherding and leading his people.

If you were to survey your entire Bible, you would find that every time God is doing a work in his people, he appoints leaders who will shepherd and guide his people through that work that he is doing

And it is no different for us today as a church - God is doing a work in every single local assembly of Christians

The work that he is doing is to change all of us to look more and more like Christ

And in every single local assembly of Christians he has appointed leaders to shepherd his people toward Christ

And so we as a church family need to get a very clear view of what God intends for how his people are to be shepherded and led.

Because a pure church is led toward Christ

Not passively pointed to Christ

but actively and intentionally led toward Christ

[Bridge Question] What does it look like to be led toward Christ?

What does pure leadership that leads us toward Christ look like?

We are going to see three essential realities that must be in place if we are to be a church that is being led toward Christ

We are led toward Christ through…

Faithful shepherding (v. 2–3) [9:00]

Before we even get to what faithful shepherding looks like, notice that Peter identifies very clearly who the leaders of the church are: elders.

Now, don’t assume that simply means “the oldest.” - Age alone is not the sole determiner of one’s ability to lead

In the New Testament, “elder” is almost always used as a title for those entrusted with leading the church.

They are also called overseers and shepherds — and all three of those terms show up right here in verses 1–2.

Se we can know that Peter is using the term elder in the leadership sense, not the age sense, because he uses the other terms for church leaders when referring to those elders.

So if an elder is a leader in the church, what makes someone an elder?

Paul gives the qualifications for an elder in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, but we can summarize those qualifications by saying…

An elder is a man whose faith has been tested and proven and who has grown into spiritual maturity, and he can teach others to grow in the same way.

And elder is an exemplar of the faith who is appointed to lead others to grow in their faith.

In other words, being an elder is not about age — it’s about spiritual maturity and the ability to lead others toward maturity in Christ.

And it is God’s design for his church that his people would be led toward Christ by elders

Look at v. 1

1 Peter 5:1 “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder…”

Very quickly I want you to notice: Peter identifies himself here as a fellow elder and addresses “the elders among you.”

This letter is written to churches across multiple provinces in Rome in what is now modern day Turkey, so it is written to a multitude of churches, and Peter assumes each one had elders leading them.

That tells us something important: God’s design for His church, in every place and time, is that it be led by elders.

This is why Paul told Timothy and Titus to appoint elders, and why Paul himself established elders in every church he planted.

The pattern is consistent: churches are to be led by elders - That is God’s design and Peter assumes it is happening.

But we need to make sure we don’t misunderstand what “elder-led” means…

Elder leadership is not a democracy. Elders are not representatives of the people who carry out the will of the masses.

They are called to lead according to the word and will of God, not according to the opinions and desires of people.

But elder leadership is not a dictatorship either.

The bully in the pulpit who just tries to advance his own agenda and steamroll anyone who gets in the way

That is not a shepherd, that is a slave-driver

And there is no place in the church for that

Instead, God’s design is that each church is shepherded by a multiple elders who lead together, what we call an “plurality of elders”, who are accountable to one another and to Christ.

That’s why here at Harvest we have a team of elders - Not a hierarchy, but equals.

I am not the only elder, nor do I have a stronger voice than the others.

We share leadership equally, and together we seek to lead this church toward Christ.

And that is God’s design for the church

So if God’s design is for elders to lead by shepherding, what does it look like to do that faithfully?

1 Peter 5:2 “shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight…”

The way that elders will shepherd and lead their churches is by exercising oversight

This is not oppressive control

But careful and faithful shepherding…

You think about a Shepherd… He has oversight over the flock in his care and the way that he exercises that oversight is by doing three things:

He provides the food, and water, and pasture that they need to thrive and grow

He protects them from things that would harm them from outside of the flock

He pursues them when they wander away

In those three things, provision, protection, and pursuit, a Shepherd overseas his flock

And so it is with elders in the church

We exercise oversight as we Shepherd the church

We provide the teaching that is needed for growth as we lead the church toward discipleship

We protect the church from false teaching that would harm the church as we lead the church in true and pure doctrine

And we pursue those who are wandering away in sin as we lead the church in discipline, seeking to restore those who are wandering.

God’s design for the church is not that you and I just do our own thing and get together once a week to celebrate what we’ve been doing in our own lives

God’s design for the church is that faithful shepherds would be appointed to lead the church toward Christ through discipleship, doctrine, and discipline as we are provided with what we need to grow, we are protected from what would harm us, and we are pursued when we wander.

And there is a way to do this faithfully

v. 2-3 give us three contrasts of faithful vs unfaithful shepherding

So if you are taking notes, write these down…

There are three things that faithful shepherds do…

First, faithful shepherds

Don’t shrug… They serve - “not under compulsion, but willingly”

Faithful elders don’t lead because they’re forced to. They lead because they want to. They don’t shrug their shoulders and say, “Well, I guess someone has to do it.” They serve gladly, knowing that shepherding God’s people is a privilege.

And we are being led toward Christ by faithful shepherding when we are led by elders who serve willingly.

Next, faithful shepherds

Don’t get… they give - “not for shameful gain, but eagerly”

Faithful elders don’t serve to line their pockets, to gain status, to get something out of the deal. They are not consumers of the flock. They aren’t looking to see what’s in it for them.

Too often I see men who want to be elders because of the status that it will give them or because of the influence that they will then have in the church.

Or because they don’t like how the elders are leading and so they want to lead in their own direction…

That is shameful gain.

Instead, Faithful shepherds pour themselves out for the good of the flock.

Faithful elders give of their time, energy, sleep… all to care for the flock that has been entrusted to them.

And we are being led toward Christ by faithful shepherding when we are led by elders who are eager to pour themselves out for your sake.

Third, faithful shepherds…

Don’t manipulate… They model - “not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”

Faithful elders don’t bully or control. They don’t push people around. They don’t try to advance their own agenda and coerce people into going along with it.

They lead by example. They are an example of the faith and model obedience to Christ.

When we look at these three elements of faithful shepherding, we see that God’s design for leadership in the church is for elders to lead as shepherds in the same way that Jesus led as the Good Shepherd

Coming not to be served, but to serve

Not seeking his own selfish gain, but laying down his life for the sake of his people

Reflecting God to those who followed him

These three qualities of faithful elders were perfectly embodied by Jesus

And the call of God on the elders of the local church is that they follow the example of Christ as they lead the church toward Christ.

This is not a model of leadership that the world values, but it is a model of leadership that the church must value,

because it is God’s design that his church be led by elders who will shepherd the flock faithfully.

but to shepherd faithfully, a church must be led toward the right end goal

Which leads us to the second essential reality

we are led toward Christ through…

Eternal motivation (v. 4) [21:00]

When you think about what motivates someone, you’re really talking about what their deepest desire is and how that impacts the way that they live

And what someone is motivated by is a very important part of the equation as to whether or not you should follow them

Right?

Someone who has the right motives will often lead you in the right direction

And Peter tells us in verse 4 what kind of motivation our elders should have if they are to lead us toward Christ

1 Peter 5:4 “And when the chief Shepherd appears…”

Peter has just shown us what faithful shepherding looks like.

But now he shows us what faithful shepherding aims at.

Elders are not just called to shepherd in the present — they are called to shepherd with their eyes fixed on the future.

And this involves seeing Jesus rightly - Peter calls him the “Chief Shepherd”

That title reminds both the elders and the church that this flock is not ultimately ours.

The church belongs to Christ. The people assembled in the name of Christ were purchased us by His blood.

He is in charge of his church.

And his church will be led toward him…

That means two things for the way elders lead and for what it looks like for the church to follow their lead.

First, elders do not lead independently.

They lead under the authority of Christ.

They are under-shepherds of the Chief shepherd.

And so they are accountable to Him.

Hebrews 13:17 says that “[elders] keep watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account.”

Second, elders do not lead aimlessly.

They lead toward a destination — the appearing of Christ.

Every sermon, every counseling session, every decision in an elder meeting… must be aimed at this one goal: to prepare God’s people to stand before Christ on the last day.

That is a pure view of leadership

Leading under the authority of Christ and leading the church toward Christ.

So faithful elders are motivated by Christ’s authority and his future coming, but they are also motivated by an eternal reward

Peter continues saying that elders who faithfully shepherd their churches “…will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

In the 1st century, athletes would win a crown of leaves woven together and they would wear it to display their reward for their victory.

It looked impressive for a few days, but it withered quickly. The honor that they wore faded with time.

Just like any other worldly motivation - If you are motivated by things in this world, When you achieve them, it will not be very long before the glory fades

But for those who live faithfully for Christ, there is a reward waiting that will never fade

And this is true for those who lead

When elders are motivated by Christ and are looking ahead to his coming and are preparing their people to see Jesus face to face… They will be rewarded for their faithfulness

This is important for us to recognize as a church

Leaders who are motivated by worldly things, materialistic pursuits, human influence and power, will not lead you toward Christ

They might be impressive

They might make grand promises

But if they are not motivated by the eternal authority and glory of Christ, they will ultimately compromise in order to advance their own mission

But faithful elders are not motivated by earthly things - They are motivated by eternal things

And so they will lead us toward eternal things - Toward the authority of Christ, toward the mission of Christ, toward the glory of Christ

Because they are motivated by those things, they will lead us in those things

And having a pure view of leadership means that when we as elders lead the church in this way, you will follow our lead.

Often, when you don’t want to follow someone’s lead it’s because you do not believe they are leading you in the right direction and you do not believe that they have the right motives

But when you can see that your elders are eternally motivated… when you can confidently say that you believe that your elders care about the authority, mission, and glory of Christ, you can follow them knowing that they are leading you toward Christ

And a pure church that has a pure vision of leadership will long for elders who Shepherd the flock from an eternal motivation that is wholly aimed at Christ

Because it will mean that our church is led directly toward Christ

Which leads to our final point…

We are led toward Christ through…

Humble submission (v. 5) [28:00]

Peter has just told us what faithful shepherding looks like, and then what faithful motivation looks like.

Now he turns to the church and tells us what faithful following looks like.

If God’s design is that elders lead the church toward Christ, then the only way a church will be led toward Christ is if the people actually follow the elders’ leadership.

Right? A leader with no one following him is just out for a walk.

To lead, those in your charge must follow.

As I mentioned earlier, Elders are men whose faith has been tested and proven.

They are men who have been appointed because they are spiritually mature, and they are called to lead the flock toward maturity in Christ.

“Younger,” then, refers to those who are still growing — those who are less mature in the faith.

In the same way that elder is not about age, but maturity, Peter says, “Likewise” and uses younger, not to refer to age, but those who are growing in maturity.

So Peter’s instructions here are simple: You who are growing in Christ, humbly submit to those who have been appointed to lead you toward Christ.

And this is where we often push back, isn’t it?

Because submission is not a word we love.

Our culture tells us submission is weakness, or that it means you’re giving up your independence.

But in the Bible, submission is never about weakness — it is about embracing God’s good design, knowing that he knows best.

And so we submit to his design as it works itself out in our church.

So what does it mean for the church to submit to its elders?

It means that when your elders are teaching you from God’s Word, you receive it and obey it.

It means that when your elders set a direction for the church, you support it and follow it

It means that when your elders come alongside you and call you to repent of sin, you humble yourself and respond with confession and repentance.

But notice Peter doesn’t stop with the word to the younger. He immediately broadens it out in verse 5: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another.”

So yes, the church must submit to its elders. But this is not one-sided.

Elders and church members alike are called to walk in humility.

For elders, this means leading with humility.

Faithful elders never forget that they are accountable to Christ.

They do not domineer. They do not demand. They don’t exploit.

They lead by serving, they lead by example, they lead in humility because they know they themselves are under Christ.

For the congregation, this means following with humility.

Following elders does not mean you will always agree with them, or that you will always like every decision they make.

But humility says, “I will trust God’s design more than I trust my own preferences. I will submit with humility because I believe these elders are pursuing Christ and his mission for our church and so I will follow them as they lead me toward Christ.”

Pride says if I disagree with the elders, I will refuse to listen and I will go my own way

Humility says God gave us these elders and so I will follow them

And when both sides embrace this mutual humility, the church flourishes.

The elders lead humbly, the church follows humbly, and together we all walk humbly toward Christ.

Peter ends this passage with a sobering warning: 1 Peter 5:5 “…for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

How you respond to the leadership that God has placed over his church is not merely a response to men… It is also a response to God

Paul says in Acts 20:28 that it is the Holy Spirit who appoints elders to shepherd the church.

While elders are confirmed by the elder team and are followed by the church, they are appointed by God

And so when we humbly submit to our elders, we humbly submit to God

But when we proudly oppose our elders, we proudly oppose God

May we never be a church family that proudly opposes God by rejecting his design for leadership in the church

May we always be a church that humbly submits to God’s design

Being led toward Christ through…

Faithful shepherding

Eternal motivation

Humble submission.

Because a pure church is led toward Christ…

[Elders come on stage]

Pray for the the elder team and the church

Church, pray for your elders as they lead

pray for yourselves as you follow