Shepherding the Flock of Christ- 1 Pet. 5:1-5

We come this morning to the sermon from Peter’s epistle that primarily addresses me, or pastors/elders. I say pastors/elders because the New Testament teaches that each church had a multiplicity of pastors or elders. That is, one church would have several pastors. Our church had multiple elders in its infancy, and I would love to see us have more pastors. This in no way implies a paid position, for some elders in the New Testament served a volunteer elders.

I cannot overstate the importance of maintaining a biblical view of the Church and her leadership. God has clearly prescribed what He wanted His pastors to be like and how to pastor. It is important that both you and I know what He expects and live up to those expectations.

What we will see this morning, though focusing primarily on the pastor, is that...

The pastors/elders have the weighty responsibility to shepherd the flock of God and the flock of God has the responsibility to submit to their leadership.

Pastors are God’s gift to the church (Eph. 4:11) to equip the church for life and service. In other words, it is the plan of God that a body of individuals who gather together are led and equipped by the pastors of that church in order to grow into a mature disciple of Jesus Christ.

I. Pastors/Elders have the weighty responsibility to Shepherd the Flock of God- 5:1-4

In the first four verses of chapter 5, Peter lays out the job description of the pastor. His main duty is to shepherd the flock of God. Following this are the qualifications for each of this task.

While this is primarily aimed at me, previous pastors, and future pastors, I want you to do two things. First, pray for me, pastors in general, and any future pastors of this church. It is a weighty calling and one that all pastors desperately need God’s help to fulfill.

The second aspect of this calling is that though it is addressed primarily to elders, these qualities apply to Christians generally. In other words, the qualifications for the elder are not special. Every Christian should strive to fulfill the requirements listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Now, let us look at the elder’s responsibility.

A. The Command for Shepherds—shepherd the flock of God

This is the command for the shepherds. Some translations have feed, as that is the word picture behind shepherd. Alexander Strauch, in his book on elders, summarizes this work,

“As God’s sheep, Christian people need to be fed God’s Word and to be protected from wolves in sheep’s clothing. They need continuous encouragement, comfort, guidance, prayer, and correction.”—Alexander Strauch

How do pastors feed and guide the church? They teach, preach, and live the Word of God. They study Scripture, see the history of God’s redeeming work throughout the two testaments, and then present God’s Word and help apply it to your lives. My task as a pastor is to preach God’s Word in such a way that you both understand it and are motivated to apply it to your lives.

God’s Word is the water and grass that God’s sheep need to survive. Sheep will starve if they are not fed and watered. Likewise, child of God, you have been given the pastor to feed your soul. It is vital to your spiritual health to hear and apply the Word of God proclaimed. It is your responsibility, church, to attend faithfully (Heb. 10:25), listen carefully (Luke 8:18), and earnestly apply what you hear to your life (James 1:22). This command is then qualified, or clarified as to how it is to be performed.

B. The Qualifications of the Command

1. Exercising Oversight

The pastors and elders of the church are to oversee (from whence the word bishop comes). That is, they oversee the flock of God. They watch out for your souls is how Hebrews 13:17 phrases it. Shepherds care for their sheep, they know when they are ill, when something is bothering them, when they are sick. You will readily agree that as a human the pastor is flawed. Try as he might, he will undoubtedly miss aspects in your life. Forgive him (and me!), but know that true shepherds care for the sheep, even if it is imperfectly.

2. Shepherd Willingly—not out of compulsion

Pastors are to engage in this marvelous work willingly, not out of compulsion. The pastor should love pastoring. It should not be a, “Well, there is nothing else to do, I guess I’ll pastor!” Peter also adds that phrase, “As God would have you.” The call to ministry is from God.

3. Shepherd Eagerly—not out of shameful gain

Pastoral ministry is hard. There are people with a variety of backgrounds and views, all with their own conceptions of what their lives should look like and how the church should operate. People have heartbreaking issues, family members who have gone astray, tragic accidents, and painful struggles. Pastors should engage in this work eagerly, not for shameful gain (i.e., money). A pastor entering the ministry for money will not be a pastor, he will be a hireling.

4. Shepherd through Example—not by domineering

Pastors also live what they preach (or, they should!). Joel Beeke says this about the pastor and his life,

“Scripture says there should be no disparity between the character of a man who is called to proclaim God’s Word and the content of his message.”—Joel Beeke

They lead from the flock, not from over it. Pastors who are domineering are not Christlike. Christ, if you remember, said, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” It is the same Savior who donned a towel and washed His disciples feet. That is how a pastor should shepherd the flock of God.

Jesus gives us the perfect example of a Good Shepherd, He is, after all, our Chief Shepherd. The pastors and elders who shepherd well will receive a remarkable reward, a crown of glory. This is the work of the pastor.

II. The Flock of God has the Responsibility to Submit to Their Leadership- 5:5

What about the flock? What responsibilities do they have? Their responsibility primarily involves submission, or following the leadership of the pastors and elders. The flock, like the wife to the husband, servants to masters, and citizens to their government, should submit to the leadership of the church.

A. The Flock humbly submits to God’s leadership through Elders

Peter mentions “you who are younger,” because in our human nature we are prone toward rebellion. Preachers use the wet-paint sign constantly, but it illustrates this point well. When you say “don’t touch this” our natural response is to touch it. Likewise, younger people in general struggle with rebellion. In particular, younger people in churches struggle to follow the imperfect leadership of their pastors/elders.

This does not imply that you are of less value than pastors, it is simply the structure God gave to the Church. Also, this does not mean that if you are not younger that you do not have to submit to church leadership. Nor does the term elder imply age.

This is God’s design for the Church. The church should be led by qualified, godly men (multiple) and the church should follow their leadership. When this happens, God is honored because His Word is obeyed. This requires humility, on both the pastors’ and the people’s parts.

B. The Flock (including the elder) should be humble

Peter attaches this on to this section, quoting a verse from Proverbs 3:34, and then applies it to the church as a whole. Clothe yourselves, Peter commands, with humility. What is humility? Think about pride. A prideful individual is one that easily comes to our minds. Humility is the exact opposite. It does not imply less worth, it recognizes equal value. Whereas pride says you do this, humility says let me do this. Pride says “It’s my way or the highway!” Humility says, “How can I work with you and where you are.”

This is necessary to both the pastors and the people. God, Peter reminds us, opposes the proud. He works against the prideful. This is such a dire warning, and one that we must heed. When pastors or people are prideful, the one domineering and the other rebellious, God works against them.

However, when pastors and people are humble, God gives grace. He gives grace to the pastors to shepherd the way God desires, and He gives grace to the people to submit to their imperfect leaders.

The pastors/elders have the weighty responsibility to shepherd the flock of God and the flock of God has the responsibility to submit to their leadership.

Where do we go from here? As a church, we should be led by pastors, not a pastor. I desire to see us follow God’s Word in obedience. I would love to see us find men gifted and qualified to be elders and serve this church in that capacity. I desire for the pastors of this church to shepherd you faithfully.

I also see the ever-present danger of pride, on both pastors and people. We must be wary of this danger, for pride is deceptive. We must clothe ourselves, daily, in humility. Church, you are commanded to submit to God’s ordained leadership. If either pastors or people refuse to obey God’s Word, they demonstrate pride and find themselves opposed by the Almighty God. If pastors and people are humble, they enjoy God’s marvelous grace, glorify Him, and serve for the building up of His body here.