Excuse Me, While I Preach To Myself
I Peter 5:1-5
In our local Baptist association it seems that there are always 5 to 10 churches who are without a pastor. When a pastor resigns, the church will form a "pastor search committee" This is a group of people who are given the responsibility of selecting a candidate to bring before the church as a prospective pastor. Often this committee will advertise on the internet for this open position. They will accept resumes for a selected period of time and then begin the painstaking process of sorting through the pile of prospective candidates.
Imagine for a moment you are on this committee and you examine a resume that describes a man who has been:
- Arrested many times.
- He is always in and out of prison.
- Countless times he has been run out of town.
- He has never built a building.
- He has never been on T.V or radio.
- He doesn't have his own website.
- He has never owned a home.
- Has to work on the side to support himself.
- Never seems to stay very long in one place.
- He is not a skilled public speaker.
- He has an unimpressive appearance.
- Sometimes preaches for hours at a time.
- And he constantly gets involved in public controversies.
No church today would even entertain the idea of calling such a man. In rejecting this résumé you have just turned away the Apostle Paul!
When a church is seeking a new pastor you hear many opinions from the membership as to what they want in their next leader. Some will say we need a man with a degree from an approved seminary. Others will say "I don't want a man with a cemetery degree". Some want a young man who will reach young couples. Others want an older man with more experience. Some want a man who studies much and is a strong expositor. While some are less concerned with preaching and more focused on his ministry to the people.
As far as I know I am not going anywhere, but if that changes let me encourage you to put aside your personal preferences and look to the Lord to provide His man to lead you into the future. When a church is seeking a shepherd they can find the description of what God expects from His man in the Word of God. And what God says you need is more important than what you want!
Notice the description given in: I Timothy 3:1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
These verses show the qualifications of a shepherd. But here in I Peter 5 we find a description of the responsibilities of a shepherd. Often after a sermon, some of you will come to me and say "boy you sure stepped on my toes brother!" Or maybe someone will say "that message was meant especially for me". Well today you have the opportunity to hear me preach a text that directly applies to me! There is information that will be beneficial to you but the majority of this text is directed at the Pastor. So I ask you to "Excuse Me, While I Preach To Myself"
Years ago I was watching Matlock, and Ol' Ben was talking to himself. And he said (to himself) "I have heard that you are not crazy if you talk to yourself but it is a sign of insanity if you answer your own questions." I think it will be ok if I preach to myself, but if I start to amen my own sermon we could be here all night!
- Look with me if you will to verse 1 as we consider:
I. A Word About The Pastor's Call - v1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
There are 4 leadership positions concerning the church that are mentioned in the New Testament, They are Bishop, Pastor, Elder & Deacon. These four “offices” have been understood in a variety of ways throughout Christian history. Most Baptist churches recognize two offices... that of Pastor/Elder and that of Deacon. The Pastor is a man who is called by God to shepherd the people. The Deacon is a man who is called by the church to serve the people. The qualifications are similar but the position and responsibilities are different. Here, Peter is writing to the Shepherd.
We find that Pastoring is a calling! No man in his right mind would choose this life for personal gain. Being a pastor is a great life but it is not an easy life! I am here today doing what I do because I was called to do it. In 2002 I was 21 years old in a revival meeting at the 1st Baptist Church of Ragland Alabama. The evangelist was preaching and all of the sudden God began working on me. For several weeks I struggled and I talked to many different pastors about what I was experiencing. weeks after that revival meeting I stood and announced to the church that God had called me to preach. Almost immediately after that I quit church and began to run from the call that God had placed on my life. And for 3 years God never let up. Every day I knew what I was supposed to be doing. Even in my rebellion God would show me sermons that I needed to share. Finally in October of 2005 I had ran as long and as far as I could and I fully surrendered to God's call.
It has been a rollercoaster ride. There are days when I want to walk away...But overall it has been a tremendous blessing and I am honored to be chosen by God for such a special task. Dr. Adrian Rogers once said that he had often doubted his salvation but he had never doubted his call to preach. (And I can say the same myself!)
My friend when God truly calls you, you know it!!!
Peter shares "A Word About The Pastor's Call" In verse 2-3 he goes on to share:
II. A Word About The Pastor's Care
Most people today do not want a Pastor, they want a chaplain. They are looking for someone who will visit them when they are sick and Counsel them when they are struggling. They want someone who will baptize their babies, marry their children and bury their dead. While these may be elements of pastoral care they are not the ultimate responsibility of the Pastor. Peter states that:
A. The Pastor Is To Feed The Sheep - v2 Feed the flock of God which is among you...
It was not by chance that Peter begins by saying "feed the flock". This is the primary call of the under-shepherd. Paul in his charge to Timothy told him to "Preach the Word"
The word preach means “To herald” . It speaks of a king’s messenger to the people. In ancient times the king would have a personal messenger. His responsibility was to sound out the king’s word with a voice that was loud and clear. The message was to be heard and obeyed. The messenger was to be respected and unhindered. He was not an ambassador with whom one might negotiate. He was a messenger that must be heard!
When a man of God delivers a (biblical) sermon it is not his message, rather it is the message of the King! Any message I preach must be THE WORD OF GOD!!
A Pastor is called to preach the "whole counsel of God" He is not called to entertain. He is not called to be a comedian. He is not called to deliver a motivational speech. He is not called to discuss philosophy or psychology. The Pastor is called BY GOD for the purpose of PREACHING THE WORD OF GOD!! In order to preach the whole counsel of God the Pastor MUST SPEND TIME IN THE WORD!
Some preaching today is like cotton candy, it tastes good but it will not fill you up and it will rot your teeth! What we need today is some men who will feed the flock with something that has nutritional value. We have 66 books full of spiritual nutrition right in front of us!
Unfortunately many people do not want to hear the pure unadulterated Word of God! The Bible tells us that this would happen - II Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
But even when the people don't want it, the Pastor has been called to feed the sheep. Sometimes the people have to be force fed and they spit it right back up, but the pastor is called to feed the flock!
The success of a pastor is not measured by budgets. buildings or baptisms. Ephesians 4:12 makes it clear that his primary job is to "equip the saints for the work of the ministry". - This is how God measures a pastor's success.
The Pastor is to feed the sheep. We also see that:
A. The Pastor Is To Lead The Sheep taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
This shows the importance of the shepherd caring about the sheep. Not only does a shepherd lead a sheep in the proper direction, he leads the sheep away from danger. A shepherd would never allow a sheep to go near a cliff or rushing water. And a shepherd would protect his sheep from predators.
And spiritually speaking I am assigned the task of protecting you from wolves. - Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
This is the reason that I am so cautious as to who I allow to stand behind this pulpit. When I go on vacation I do not just call anyone to preach in my absence. You can rest assured that anyone who delivers a message from this pulpit is someone I know and someone who has proved to be a BIBLICAL EXPOSITOR!
Peter tells us the manner in which the Pastor is to lead the flock. Notice - "taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly". This means a Pastor is not to minister simply out of obligation. Our motivation for ministering must be love for the people .
When you called me as your Pastor I went to one of my mentors and I asked him what advise he would give to someone entering their first pastorate. He said it is as simple as these 2 words... LOVE YOUR PEOPLE. If I love you the way I should I will feed you and lead you!
Peter also says that we are not to minister "for filthy lucre”. False teachers are motivated by money and prestige. These "wolves" will and use their power and position to rob people of their wealth. Scripture is clear that churches should pay their pastors well (1 Cor. 9:7-14; 1 Tim. 5:17-18) and you do so! But the desire for money must never be a motive for ministers to serve.
Carl Edwards is a NASCAR driver. I once heard him say that it is awesome to get paid for doing a job that he would spend his own money doing if he had to work a real job". That is the way a pastor should feel. We should be honored to receive a paycheck but we must be willing to do so even if it pays us nothing!
Peter goes on to say in verse 3 that (we are not to be)"lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock". - “lording over” means to dominate someone or some situation. This speaks of leadership by manipulation and intimidation. The high priest and the priest's office in the temple had been used many times to rule over the people. This is not the way Jesus taught the leaders of the Christians to be. Jesus said that "The greatest among you should be the servant"
I believe in Pastoral authority but a pastor is not to be a dictator! A shepherd is required to live as an example to those in the flock. We must never forget that the flock belongs to God, not to the pastor. An when the Pastor leads and feeds the flock the way God has designed it, he will one day be rewarded for his faithful service. We see this in verse 4:
III. A Word About The Pastor's Crown - v4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
There is coming a day when Jesus Christ, the “chief Shepherd” will appear. When He does he will reward His faithful under shepherds with “a crown of glory that fades not away.” This is a special reward for faithful spiritual leaders who serve in the manner described in scripture! I cannot imagine one day my Savior coming to me and placing a crown on my head for doing something that is such an honor in itself. But oh what a motivation to serve and to finish well!
The pastor's motivation is not a pat on the back from the congregation. It is not a bigger church or a more prominent position. It is not to serve well enough to get a raise or special gifts. It is not to be respected by his peers. The goal should be to please our Savior! The pastor's desire should be to bring honor and glory to the One who called us into the ministry! To think that there is a reward for serving just shows how amazing His grace really is!!
Maybe you have enjoyed sitting back and listening to me preach to myself, well you didn't think you were going to make it through the entire sermon unscathed did you? I would like to look at one more thing before I close. In verse 5 Peter shares:
IV. A Word About The Pastor's Congregation - v5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
We have seen that the "Elder" here refers to the spiritual leaders. Peter proclaims that the church members are to give honor, reverence, and respect to spiritual leadership. When the "elder" does his part and submits to the authority of the Lord it will not be difficult at all for the flock to respect his leadership.
This submission begins with "humbleness". “Humility” is literally “lowly mindedness,” It is an attitude someone who is not too good to serve. Peter says that we are to be "clothed with humility" - "Clothed with Humility" literally means to "wear the apron of a slave".
In ancient times a slave would put on an apron over his clothes in order to keep his clothes clean. True humility before the Lord requires us to assume the place of a slave. Jesus modeled humility for us in the Upper Room. Knowing that the end of His life was near Jesus tied a towel around his waste. Then He poured water in a basin and began to wash the feet of His disciples. This was the job of a common slave. But Jesus was willing to humble Himself and serve His disciples.
Notice what He said in John 13:12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
We are to model our lives after our Savior. When we clothe ourselves with humility we can say, "I have no will but yours Lord" ..."I have no plan but Your plan"... "I have no desire but Your desire."
The Pastor is to "clothe himself with humility "and the same is true for the church members. There are many studies and surveys that attempt to describe the reasons that a Pastor leaves the church and in some cases the ministry all together. I believe that the most common reason is that there are a handful of people who constantly undermine the Pastors authority. God will give His man a clear vision for the direction of the church and then this small group will rebel and come against God's man. Then to top it off those who support the pastor and his vision will sit back and allow this to happen. In most cases when someone comes against a pastor it is because he is not doing what they think he should. Or because he is doing things that they don't like. But Peter says that you are to "submit yourselves unto the elder"
Pastors make tough decisions. They often initiate change. They may challenge the people to do something different and leave their comfort zone. And this has a tendency to start a revolt. Let me say this about that: You prayed for God to send you a Shepherd. You took the time to make sure that this was God man for this present season of ministry. If God gives your pastor a vision for the future...SUPPORT HIM!! If he is "clothed with humility " and in tune with the Holy Spirit ...FOLLOW HIM!! Follow him as he follows the Lord. The pastor is called to lead and you are called to follow. With that being said... the church only has one head, and the head of the church is the Lord Jesus, Eph. 5:23.
When you do this, GOD WILL BLESS YOU AND THE CHURCH AS A WHOLE!! In closing, let me say this, God has designed His church to work a certain way. And through the scriptures we have all the information we need to be successful for the Lord. We know what the pastor's qualifications and responsibilities are. And we know the responsibilities of those in the church. When we do things God's way, there is no limit to what God can do. And if we don't do things his way we are destined to fail!
