THE PURPOSE OF THE PASTOR
John 21:14-17
By Dr. Larry A. Bergeron
Red Bay Church of God / September 24, 2000 / AM
Turn In Your Bibles To The Gospel Of John, Chapter 21, Verses 14 Following. We Will Be Reading From This Passage In A Moment.
INTRODUCTION
Last Week we looked at the topic of The Purpose Of God (To Save the world by Reconciling the World to Him Through the Cross & Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In Christ we become one with God and Jesus in both purpose and relationship. God has Given Us His same purpose , and we have all been given the ministry of Reconciliation. That is what God is doing.
Today: Today we’re going to look at the Purpose of the Pastor. Why do we have pastors? What is the Biblical Purpose of the Pastor?
There are many names giving to the position of pastor: Preacher, Reverend, Overseer, Bishop, etc. The term I like the most is Pastor and Shepherd. These go hand-in-hand.
Today I want us to look at a few verses in the Bible that tell us what the purpose of the Pastor or Shepherd is.
I want to begin by looking at the Gospel of John, chapter 21, starting with verse 14.
STAND FOR THE READING OF GOD’S WORD
SCRIPTURE (context: Shortly after the Resurrection of Christ. Peter went fishing on the Sea of Galilee with a couple of the other disciples. Fished all night and caught nothing. In the morning Jesus shows up and tells them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. They do, and catch 153 fish. John recognizes that its Jesus, and Peter goes to meet him at the shore, where Jesus has bread and hot coals ready for cooking fish. )
14This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” [THESE = ANYTHING]
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
PRAYER
SERMON
TWO PRIMARY PURPOSES OR RESPONSIBILITIES OF PASTORS
1.THE PASTOR’S 1ST RESPONSIBILITY IS TO LOVE HIS LORD
(this is also your 1st responsibility—Matthew 22:37-40 THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT)
LOVE FOR GOD INVOLVES AT LEAST TWO THINGS:
OBEDIENCE AND RELATIONSHIP
A. OBEDIENCE
37Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’£ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’£ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
This is not hard to do when I recall all that God has done for me.
John 14:23-24
If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
If my love for Jesus is kept fresh, then I will obey His Word.
This is why Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him.
HIS COMMANDS ARE NOT GREVIOUS
John 15:9ff. Tells us what his command is . . .
9“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
Also, the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16ff.)
16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in£ the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
AS YOUR PASTOR, I MUST LOVE OUR LORD AND BE OBEDIENT TO HIS COMMANDS. THIS IS THE FIRST PART OF LOVING GOD.
B. RELATIONSHIP
ANOTHER ASPECT TO LOVING GOD INVOLVES BEING IN RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST.
HOW ARE WE IN RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST?
PRAYER -- Our Communication with God
WORD -- God’s Communication with Us
WORSHIP -- Our love Expressed to Him
FELLOWSHIP-- His love Expressed to Us through His Body, the Church.
OBEDIENCE-- Empowerment from God THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT
(Romans 8:13 “Put to death . . . through the Spirit”)
TRANSITION TO SECOND POINT:
WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THE 1ST RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PASTOR AS IT IS REFLECTED IN THE RESTORATION PASSAGE OF PETER WITH JESUS… “DO YOU LOVE ME?” AND WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS---WHAT IT MEANS TO LOVE JESUS.
NOW WE WANT TO FOCUS ON THE SECOND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PASTOR
2. THE PASTOR’S SECOND RESPONSIBILITY IS TO FEED HIS SHEEP
You are not my sheep, you are His sheep. Jesus didn’t say “Peter, feed your sheep.” He said feed MY sheep!
He is the Chief Shepherd,---- and I, ----your pastor, am following Him. “Follow me as I follow Christ” Paul said (1 Cor. 11:1) In fact, the word Pastor comes from the Greek word meaning “shepherd.”
If you are His sheep, then that makes me an Under Shepherd to the Great Shepherd. And that reminds me of the great passage in John 10:11 ff. That talks about the GOOD SHEPHERD
TURN WITH ME TO JOHN 10:14-18; 27-30
14“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Skip down to verse 27 . . .
27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all£; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”
This passage has a few interesting statements regarding the Sheep & Shepherd:
The Sheep KNOW their Shepherd (personal knowledge, one with God) The Sheep know their Shepherd’s Voice (spiritual discernment; like child to parent discernment. You can identify your child’s voice or your parent’s voice)
The Sheep LISTEN to their Shepherd’s voice (obedience)
The Sheep FOLLOW their Shepherd
KNOW -- LISTEN – FOLLOW
UNDERSHEPHERDS HAVE TO GIVE AN ACCOUNT FOR THE SHEEP
HEBREWS 13:17
17Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
BUT WHAT ABOUT SHEEP FOOD?
What is FOOD? Food is necessary in order to sustain life. It keeps life going. It energizes, and enables.
As it pertains to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I believe Sheep Food is at least the following three things:
FIRST: The Word of God IS Spiritual Food.
Jesus, according to John 1, is the Word made flesh.
We celebrate the Lord’s Supper where we symbolically remember His death and soon coming by eating His Body (bread) and His Blood (juice).
Jesus, who is the Word of God, described himself as the Bread of Life.
Reading the Word of God is Sheep Food. It does something to us as we read to feed . Hebrews 4:12-13 reads:
12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
AS YOUR PASTOR, I WILL FEED YOU THE WORD OF GOD
SECOND: THE HOLY SPIRIT
If we stay full of the Spirit we will have the strength to overcome the evil desires of the flesh.
In fact, this is the ONLY WAY TO OVERCOME OUR FLESH!
This is what Romans 8:13 states:
9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.£ And by him we cry, “Abba,£ Father.”
I WILL ENCOURAGE US ALL TO BE CONTINUALLY FILLED WITH GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT
THIRD: BY SUBMITTING ONE TO ANOTHER
The Church is the Body of Christ. That means that we are members one of another and we receive spiritual nourishment from each other, just as my hand receives nourishment from the veins that carry the blood and oxygen to it.
When we allow God to use our spiritual gifts and bless each other we are feeding upon the very Spirit of God. Each gift is given for all to profit and grow thereby. Remember: When God Works . . . He Works Through His People!
The wolves love to go after the lone sheep. If you are without a spiritual family, let me encourage you to get yourself into church and fellowship with God’s people. If you don’t have a church I want to give you a personal invitation to join us here at Red Bay Church of God. I can assure you that these people will love you and you will find yourself not alone, and a part of the family of God.
I WILL CONTINUALLY CHALLENGE YOU TO STIR UP YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS FOR THE EDIFICATION OF THIS BODY, OUR CHURCH.
IN CONCLUSION
HOW CAN I FULLFILL MY RESPONSIBILITY AS YOUR PASTOR?
BY FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE THAT PETER SET . . .
1. GIVE MYSELF TO PRAYER AND THE STUDY OF GOD’S WORD
2. HELPING EACH OF YOU TO MINISTER TO EACH OTHER, IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THROUGH YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS
CLOSING INVITATION
TO THE UNSAVED: If you are a lone sheep, let me encourage you to come join our flock
TO THE SAVED: Sheep, let me encourage you to keep grazing on God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, and Using your gifts, and I promise you I’ll see you get the food God wants you to have.
This says it all: THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM . . .
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,£
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
MY CLOSING PRAYER IS TAKEN FROM HEBREWS 13:20
“Now may the God of Peace who brought up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever & ever. Amen.”
