Setting the Roof: Shepherding the Flock Under Your Care

Our Theme is “Rebuilding the House of God”

Ezra 1:5 ESV

5 Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem.

Is your spirit stirred?

Are you strong but flexible?

Are you under authority?

So what do you do when you now?

Today we are setting the roof.

The roof provides covering.

But first, we must be under covering ourselves.

It is from the position of submission to Christ and to one another that we can safely lead God’s people.

In the Bible, leaders of God’s people are called shepherds because they guide and care for people like a shepherd cares for his sheep.

I grew up on a farm. We had mostly cows - milk cows. And we raised chickens. One time we tried raising a few sheep.

I remember that one of the sheep died very soon after we got them. We suspected that the sheep ate something that was poison. So we walked through the pasture looking for plants that could be poisonous to sheep. Sheep are sensitive animals and do not tolerate food that is not good for them.

I also had a neighbor who raised sheep. He would sleep in the barn with his sheep during lambing season. because is one of his sheep struggled to give birth she might die before morning. So he had to be there to help them.

He said it is true what the Bible says about sheep that they know their masters voice. He would simply walk out into the pasture and call and they would run to him. Most of them.

There were also those curious sheep who would wander away and he would have to go looking for them. They might be caught in some brush and unable to come to him.

It is not hard to see how leading a church is like leading sheep.

It is hard work and time consuming, but there are also rewards.

A labor of love

Do you remember Jesus’ disciple Peter who denied him three times?

When Jesus restored him, do you remember what he said?

John 21:15–19 ESV

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. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

The question Jesus asks is, “do you love me?”

Peter responds, “yes, he does.”

Jesus gives him a command, and action by which he can prove his response.

“Take care of my sheep.”

There is more that can be said about the language of the exchange between Jesus and Peter.

Jesus asks him three times and the first two times Peter’s response is not convincing.

Love requires action.

If you say that you love but do not do what you say then you love is nothing more that a whim or manipulation.

If you love, then your action must be consistent with what you say.

You say you are a pastor or a leader of the church?

Do you love Jesus?

How do you know?

Do you love the things that Jesus loves?

When we sing songs in worship. We say things like God, I want to know you. I want to know your heart. I want to be close to you.

When you love a woman, you find out what things she likes and you begin to show an interest in those things because you want her to like you. Hopefully, you really are interested in the same things. Like when you are raising a family together you share a common concern for the children. If you are in ministry together you share a common burden for the church.

But back to my point, if you love God then you should love the things that God loves.

I have found that God loves people. He loves the world. His heart is for the lost, the broken and the outcast. He loves most the ones that we find most difficult to love.

So next time you are telling God how much you love him, remember to love the ones that God loves.

Your ministry should flow out of your love for Jesus.

What has Jesus done for you?

Has he forgiven you?

Has he saved you?

Has he healed you?

Has he restored you?

Has he prospered you?

Now what is your response to him?

Take care of my sheep.

My sheep who so are so easily poisoned by the things of the world.

My sheep who so easily wander off and are caught in sin.

My sheep who wake you up in the middle of the night.

Remember, your love for them is your expression of love for Jesus.

How does Jesus love his sheep?

The good shepherd.

John 10:11–15 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, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Why does Jesus call himself the “good” shepherd?

Aren’t all shepherds good?

Aren’t all pastor and leaders good people who have the best interest in their people?

Apparently not!

The prophet Ezekiel prophecies to the shepherds of Israel and it is not good:

Ezekiel 34:1–6 ESV

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; 6 they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.

Do you know any leaders like this?

We have famous preachers who have fallen into sin and temptation.

Their people think, “how is it possible, because they have done so much good?”

But what happens when you are tired and weary and there is no one to care for you?

Do you ever think to yourself, “I am not getting the respect that I deserve?”

Do are you ever tempted to look to the flesh or to other people to satisfy your needs?

Add to that, everyone believes that you are super-human.

You are not allowed to be weak or to have problems.

Or something happens to make you angry and you become bitter.

Very slowly, you can be deceived into thinking that the sheep are there to meet your needs.

You begin to push your sheep instead of leading them.

You begin to beat your sheep instead of comforting them.

You begin to eat your sheep instead of feeding them.

But what does Jesus say, “I lay down my life for the sheep.”

the only way that you can lay down your life for the sheep is to remember Jesus who laid down his life for you.

Where does authority come from?

Where does power come from?

Where does the strength to do the work of ministry come from?

It flows down from the head who is Jesus, through you and to the people.

It is so easy to get it turned around and to think that you can only serve Jesus by making everyone else serve you.

Here is where you will need to balance stewardship and sacrifice.

Because loving and serving people does not mean doing everything that they require.

Sometimes you need to set boundaries, but for their sake.

The good shepherd will risk his life for the sheep.

He will risk his life because he knows them and is motivated by love for them and for the Father.

The hired man does not love the sheep.

He cares only for the money that he is paid.

And what is money in exchange for life?

The good shepherd cares for the life of the sheep.

And he is willing to exchange life for life.

His life for the life of the sheep.

Because his life is not his own.

Because he has the life of God flowing through him.

Because he is motivated by love and his life comes from love.

So Peter has an encounter with Jesus, the good shepherd.

Jesus restores him as a disciple.

But more than that, Jesus restores him to love.

And from love, Jesus gives Peter a task to show that he knows, understands and has received love.

And this is what Peter writes many years later to the leaders of the churches.

A willing servant.

1 Peter 5:1–5 NLT

1 And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: 2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. 4 And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor. 5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

So now that we have reviewed Peter’s story and Jesus’ teaching on the good shepherd, what do you see in Peter’s writing that he has learned?

He is serving under the Great Shepherd.

Being a leader means that you are in charge, but there is One who is in charge of you.

The sheep look to the shepherd as if he is the ultimate one who is responsible for them.

But as shepherds we know that there is a Great Shepherd.

You are not God.

You are not the Savior of the world.

You are not the sacrifice for sin.

You are not perfect.

You are authorized and empowered from above.

And we know that we will one day stand before God and give an account for all that he has entrusted to our care.

We have prophets who will call us out if we are not fulfilling our duty.

Listen to those who warn you if you are becoming angry and tired.

Listen to those who warn you if you are becoming too concerned about money or popularity.

Listen to those who tell you to take time to rest so that you are working from a place of rest.

Listen to that still small voice calling you to come away and to spend time with the One that you love.

You caring and your serving come from love and is motivated by love.

If you are not serving from love -Peter calls it eager to serve- then you will be tempted to use people for your own purpose.

You are not looking for a crown that comes from men but for the crown that comes from God.

It is a crown that does not end.

If you look for praise from people, they will turn on you.

If you look for power and prestige, all of that comes at a cost.

Whatever you do to get it you will have to do to keep it.

The day will come when all of your debts will come due.

But if you are merely doing what God has told you to do,

using what God gives you to do it,

and looking to Him for your reward,

then you cannot be bought by the things of this world.

There is the expectation of suffering now for glory later.

Do you see what is Peter’s expectation?

He is not expecting everything to be wonderful.

No, he is expecting that there will be suffering.

This is the same Peter who insisted that Jesus should not have to suffer,

and Jesus rebuked him for it.

Mark 8:31–33 ESV

31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

If Jesus had not rebuked Peter , he might still have the wrong idea.

Suffering is the the end, but it is the path to glory.

Jesus rebuked Peter, calling him satan.

Because Peter was the voice of the enemy trying to keep Jesus from his destiny.

There is spiritual warfare to keep you from your destiny.

The enemy will try to tell you that it is too hard.

The enemy will tell you that you shouldn’t have too suffer.

The enemy will tell you that there is something wrong with you.

But Peter now knows that suffering is normal,

it is the path,

but it is not the end.

the end is glory!

But we do no achieve glory by pursing glory.

Jesus taught us that the way up is down.

We cloth ourselves with humility now so that we receive a crown later.

His attitude is that of a humble and willing servant.

So what kind of man is Peter now as he is writing this?

Yes Peter is one of the great Apostles.

We know that from history.

But at the time, he is leading a church that is suffering.

The church in Jerusalem is experiencing famine and persecution.

They are receiving financial aid from the Gentile churches.

That must have been very humbling.

The point is that is is not about Peter.

It is about Peter’s love for Jesus.

It’s all about Jesus.

Peter has learned to do what Jesus did.

Go low and let God lift you up.

Humble yourself and let God lift you up.

Because if God lifts you up, then it is not you lifting you up.

it is not you acting like you are something that you are not.

Peter says, “don’t lord it over the people entrusted to you.”

That sounds like the words of Jesus:

Mark 10:42–45 NLT

42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Do you want to be a shepherd - a good shepherd?

Then do what the great shepherd did.

Become a servant-leader.

A servant- leaders is a leader who leads by serving.

And when the Great Shepherd returns he will recognize you as one of His own because you resemble him.

Do you love Jesus?

Then take care of his sheep.