WEBVTT 00:00:00.170 --> 00:00:01.990 Well, if you have your Bibles, I would encourage 00:00:01.990 --> 00:00:06.490 you to turn over to 1 Peter 5. We're down to 00:00:06.490 --> 00:00:10.330 our last two sermons on the book of 1 Peter. 00:00:10.609 --> 00:00:13.109 So as we said before, you had a chance to go 00:00:13.109 --> 00:00:15.330 through a book of the Bible, and we're just about 00:00:15.330 --> 00:00:18.410 to wrap it up. We're coming to the end. So 1 00:00:18.410 --> 00:00:21.370 Peter 5, beginning in verse 1, we're going to 00:00:21.370 --> 00:00:24.980 read the first five verses of 1 Peter. Five, 00:00:24.980 --> 00:00:27.100 there are some Bibles in the seats in front of 00:00:27.100 --> 00:00:29.379 you. If you need a Bible, go ahead and grab one 00:00:29.379 --> 00:00:31.199 of those, and you are more than welcome to take 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:33.399 that home. If you need a Bible, there are gifts 00:00:33.399 --> 00:00:35.780 to you. We'll get that replaced, no problem. 00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:37.880 But if you want to just read along, it'll also 00:00:37.880 --> 00:00:41.979 be up here on the screen. I exhort the elders 00:00:41.979 --> 00:00:44.899 among you as a fellow elder and witness to the 00:00:44.899 --> 00:00:48.100 sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares 00:00:48.100 --> 00:00:52.159 in the glory about to be revealed. Shepherd God's 00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:56.009 flock among you. Not overseeing out of compulsion, 00:00:56.009 --> 00:00:59.969 but willingly, as God would have you. Not out 00:00:59.969 --> 00:01:03.850 of greed for money, but eagerly. Not lording 00:01:03.850 --> 00:01:07.010 it over those entrusted to you, but being examples 00:01:07.010 --> 00:01:10.730 to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, 00:01:10.950 --> 00:01:13.530 you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 00:01:14.569 --> 00:01:17.329 In the same way, you who are younger, be subject 00:01:17.329 --> 00:01:21.209 to the elders. All of you clothe yourselves with 00:01:21.209 --> 00:01:25.840 humility. toward one another, because God resists 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:31.140 the proud, but gives grace to the humble. This 00:01:31.140 --> 00:01:36.750 is God's word. I don't know if you guys have 00:01:36.750 --> 00:01:39.769 ever had an encounter with a sheep or a lamb, 00:01:39.930 --> 00:01:43.909 but sheeps are cute, aren't they, right? Big, 00:01:43.909 --> 00:01:47.209 fluffy cotton balls walking around, especially 00:01:47.209 --> 00:01:49.230 if they haven't been trimmed in a while, right? 00:01:49.489 --> 00:01:53.609 They're just big, fluffy balls of wool, and they 00:01:53.609 --> 00:01:54.849 can look really cute. I mean, how many of you 00:01:54.849 --> 00:01:57.430 guys remember Lamb Chops, the show? Lamb Chops, 00:01:57.450 --> 00:01:59.709 yeah. How many of you guys have had a good Lamb 00:01:59.709 --> 00:02:09.080 Chops meal before? Sorry, lamb chops. But I don't 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:10.919 know, you know this about sheep, but however 00:02:10.919 --> 00:02:14.039 cute they are, they are equally, if not more, 00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:17.840 helpless creatures. Helpless creatures. They 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:21.580 are prone to wander off with no sense of direction. 00:02:21.740 --> 00:02:28.120 They need constant care. And any defensive skills 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:30.800 that they do have, it's basically cry out and 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:33.500 run. And then the predator comes and eats them. 00:02:33.849 --> 00:02:38.189 Lamb chops, right? In addition to them being 00:02:38.189 --> 00:02:41.870 cute but also helpless and prone to wander and 00:02:41.870 --> 00:02:45.949 needing constant care, in general, intellectually, 00:02:46.069 --> 00:02:50.530 they just might be a little dumb. If you don't 00:02:50.530 --> 00:02:54.129 believe me, anyone don't believe me? Do I need 00:02:54.129 --> 00:02:57.169 evidence to prove this? All right, look at the 00:02:57.169 --> 00:02:58.870 screen really quick. Here's evidence to prove 00:02:58.870 --> 00:03:04.639 it. Let's go ahead and play that video. Poor 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:23.659 lamb. That shepherd's gonna rescue him. I submit 00:03:23.659 --> 00:03:31.939 evidence. Marked number one. Slow -mo. With the 00:03:31.939 --> 00:03:39.360 scream. Now, you guys can probably already tell 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:41.159 where this is going. Why are we talking about 00:03:41.159 --> 00:03:43.800 sheep? Well, because we're also talking about 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:45.699 shepherds here, and we're talking about shepherding 00:03:45.699 --> 00:03:49.740 God's flock. And who's God's flock? God's people, 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:51.819 right? Does that include us here in the room? 00:03:52.199 --> 00:03:54.860 So what does that make this room right here? 00:03:55.060 --> 00:04:00.060 A room full of sheep. There are probably many 00:04:00.060 --> 00:04:02.659 reasons why that illustration or that analogy 00:04:02.659 --> 00:04:05.360 was chosen, but if you hang around this place 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:09.740 long enough, You'll find out exactly why there's 00:04:09.740 --> 00:04:13.759 a parallel there, right? We're messy. We're crazy. 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:17.399 We're kind of defenseless sometimes. We need 00:04:17.399 --> 00:04:19.980 constant care. And ever so often, we're dumb. 00:04:20.420 --> 00:04:24.699 We're just dumb. But there's also a reason why 00:04:24.699 --> 00:04:27.740 God often refers to leaders in the New Testament 00:04:27.740 --> 00:04:30.639 and the Bible as shepherds, even in the Old Testament. 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:34.899 Because his people need more than just strategy 00:04:34.899 --> 00:04:39.540 or structure. They need care and guidance. They 00:04:39.540 --> 00:04:44.740 need truth and love and protection. The church 00:04:44.740 --> 00:04:51.060 doesn't need more CEOs. It needs shepherds. And 00:04:51.060 --> 00:04:52.779 throughout scripture, we see that the church 00:04:52.779 --> 00:04:58.439 belongs to God and requires faithful care. And 00:04:58.439 --> 00:05:01.389 Jesus, the chief shepherd, has entrusted the 00:05:01.389 --> 00:05:04.329 flock to under -shepherds, sometimes referred 00:05:04.329 --> 00:05:07.230 to by different names in the New Testament, pastor, 00:05:07.470 --> 00:05:11.490 elders, overseers, who are called to serve not 00:05:11.490 --> 00:05:15.329 with power or pride, but with humility, courage, 00:05:15.610 --> 00:05:20.329 and love. The image of a shepherd is one of the 00:05:20.329 --> 00:05:24.389 many ways God relates to his people. Think of 00:05:24.389 --> 00:05:30.500 Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I have what 00:05:30.500 --> 00:05:33.980 I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures. 00:05:34.100 --> 00:05:39.779 He leads me beside quiet waters. So why does 00:05:39.779 --> 00:05:42.819 the church need shepherds? Well, the church needs 00:05:42.819 --> 00:05:45.839 shepherds because false teaching is a real thing. 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:49.800 The church needs shepherds because spiritual 00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:56.069 maturity takes intentional leadership. We need 00:05:56.069 --> 00:05:59.870 shepherds because without God -oriented, Spirit 00:05:59.870 --> 00:06:04.889 -filled vision, the sheep scatter, the body breaks 00:06:04.889 --> 00:06:09.449 down, and the mission drifts. And this morning, 00:06:09.490 --> 00:06:12.750 Peter gives us a vision for leadership in the 00:06:12.750 --> 00:06:15.410 local church, and it's not a self -serving leadership, 00:06:15.810 --> 00:06:21.410 but it is a servant leadership. Whether you are 00:06:21.410 --> 00:06:24.420 a leader or you are an aspiring leader, or you're 00:06:24.420 --> 00:06:26.560 someone under the care of a spiritual leader, 00:06:26.759 --> 00:06:30.420 this word is for you as we look at 1 Peter chapter 00:06:30.420 --> 00:06:33.279 5 and see what it means to shepherd the flock 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:35.980 of God among us. If you're taking notes, the 00:06:35.980 --> 00:06:38.459 first point I'll have you write down is shepherds 00:06:38.459 --> 00:06:44.259 must lead with shared identity. He begins with, 00:06:44.300 --> 00:06:47.120 I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:50.120 and witness to the sufferings of Christ as well 00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:53.839 as one who shares in the glory. about to be revealed. 00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:59.060 Peter begins his charge not from a position of 00:06:59.060 --> 00:07:02.560 superiority, but of solidarity as a fellow elder. 00:07:03.379 --> 00:07:05.959 And this is Peter. Don't forget, this is the 00:07:05.959 --> 00:07:09.079 rock. This is the Pentecost preacher. This is 00:07:09.079 --> 00:07:14.180 the apostle. And yet he speaks simply as a fellow 00:07:14.180 --> 00:07:16.800 elder because leadership in the church is not 00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:21.139 about rank. It's about responsibility before 00:07:21.139 --> 00:07:24.939 Christ and a servant relationship toward those 00:07:24.939 --> 00:07:29.959 you lead. Peter roots his identity not in a title, 00:07:30.019 --> 00:07:32.939 but in his connection to and his witness of Christ's 00:07:32.939 --> 00:07:37.240 suffering. This is a man who speaks as one who 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:39.959 has been humbled by grace. Anyone here been humbled 00:07:39.959 --> 00:07:46.120 by grace? Peter has. He denied knowing Jesus. 00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:51.079 At Jesus' darkest hour. He denied knowing Jesus. 00:07:51.379 --> 00:07:54.620 Even as Jesus was in the process of laying down 00:07:54.620 --> 00:07:59.240 his life for Peter. Peter was restored later. 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:03.279 Back into relationship with Christ. And what 00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:07.699 instruction did Peter receive from Jesus? Feed 00:08:07.699 --> 00:08:13.430 my sheep. Feed my sheep. This is something that 00:08:13.430 --> 00:08:16.110 all believers share and we are a grace humbled 00:08:16.110 --> 00:08:20.189 people in view of Christ and his suffering and 00:08:20.189 --> 00:08:23.949 what he has done for us. Jesus said, the son 00:08:23.949 --> 00:08:27.610 of man did not come to be served, but to serve 00:08:27.610 --> 00:08:32.029 and to give his life. And Peter also points forward 00:08:32.029 --> 00:08:35.690 to the glory about to be revealed in Jesus' return. 00:08:36.029 --> 00:08:38.289 Our hope isn't in this world, as we've talked 00:08:38.289 --> 00:08:40.450 about throughout the course of this book, as 00:08:40.450 --> 00:08:43.250 aliens and strangers, as exiles. Our hope is 00:08:43.250 --> 00:08:45.610 not in this world, but in the glory of Christ's 00:08:45.610 --> 00:08:49.389 return and our future hope with him, even as 00:08:49.389 --> 00:08:55.289 we have hope today in that future hope. So a 00:08:55.289 --> 00:08:58.429 quick little kind of sidebar. In the New Testament, 00:08:58.490 --> 00:09:02.159 there are three, Primary terms used to describe 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:05.519 church leaders. What we're calling shepherds. 00:09:05.740 --> 00:09:09.860 And they all refer to the same office. The three 00:09:09.860 --> 00:09:14.259 words are elder, overseer, and pastor. And pastor 00:09:14.259 --> 00:09:17.820 is interchangeable with that word shepherd. Elder, 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:22.960 overseer, pastor. And they all refer to the same 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:25.240 office. And basically they're like looking at 00:09:25.240 --> 00:09:28.320 the office through three different lenses. Through 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:32.220 one lens, the office is one that emphasizes maturity 00:09:32.220 --> 00:09:36.179 and wisdom. The idea of elders in the New Testament 00:09:36.179 --> 00:09:38.340 is nothing new. It was present in the Old Testament, 00:09:38.500 --> 00:09:42.340 all the way back to Moses. He had the leaders 00:09:42.340 --> 00:09:45.240 or the elders of the people gathered and began 00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:49.860 to adjudicate their problems. It was all throughout 00:09:49.860 --> 00:09:55.529 the ancient Near Eastern world. where the idea 00:09:55.529 --> 00:09:57.970 of elders and elders at the city gates and elders 00:09:57.970 --> 00:10:01.230 among the people. And so it's a concept, there's 00:10:01.230 --> 00:10:05.769 never a place that implicitly prescribes elders 00:10:05.769 --> 00:10:09.370 in the sense of here is what I want for my church, 00:10:09.509 --> 00:10:12.350 only a description of the kind of elders we're 00:10:12.350 --> 00:10:14.429 going to have and what they're supposed to do. 00:10:16.049 --> 00:10:20.009 And so elders emphasize maturity and wisdom. 00:10:20.730 --> 00:10:22.789 The spiritual leaders, the shepherds, must be 00:10:22.789 --> 00:10:25.889 mature and wise in their position because they 00:10:25.889 --> 00:10:28.409 have to shepherd or deal with the flock and help 00:10:28.409 --> 00:10:31.970 the flock to learn and grow and to navigate difficult 00:10:31.970 --> 00:10:35.509 and complex circumstances and situations, conflicts 00:10:35.509 --> 00:10:38.049 that might arise. They need maturity and wisdom. 00:10:38.309 --> 00:10:42.389 We need elders, but we also need overseers. Overseers 00:10:42.389 --> 00:10:45.730 are those who see over or emphasize function 00:10:45.730 --> 00:10:51.149 and oversight, leadership of a gathering. But 00:10:51.149 --> 00:10:54.750 we also need pastors or shepherds, those who 00:10:54.750 --> 00:10:58.529 will feed and care for the flock. And so the 00:10:58.529 --> 00:11:00.970 Bible doesn't see three different roles, that 00:11:00.970 --> 00:11:02.610 you have an elder, you have an overseer, and 00:11:02.610 --> 00:11:04.190 you have a pastor. It doesn't see three different 00:11:04.190 --> 00:11:06.049 roles. It says three different lenses for the 00:11:06.049 --> 00:11:09.269 same role. What does spiritual leadership look 00:11:09.269 --> 00:11:12.769 like in the church? It looks like elder, overseer, 00:11:12.769 --> 00:11:17.009 pastor. For example, you can see this at play 00:11:17.009 --> 00:11:19.789 in Acts chapter 20, when Paul calls the elders 00:11:19.789 --> 00:11:22.570 of Ephesus to come to him. And in that, it says, 00:11:22.690 --> 00:11:25.870 the elders of Ephesus came, and Paul tells them 00:11:25.870 --> 00:11:30.110 that the Holy Spirit made them overseers of God's 00:11:30.110 --> 00:11:33.110 flock, and he charges them to shepherd the flock. 00:11:33.230 --> 00:11:36.210 We see elder, overseer, shepherd, all combined 00:11:36.210 --> 00:11:41.590 together in one role, one office. And this shared 00:11:41.590 --> 00:11:45.269 identity among elders reflects a plurality of 00:11:45.269 --> 00:11:47.769 leadership in the local church. Elders are co 00:11:47.769 --> 00:11:50.090 -shepherds under Christ. And another feature 00:11:50.090 --> 00:11:52.389 of the idea of elders in the New Testament is 00:11:52.389 --> 00:11:55.149 that it always appears in the plural form. It's 00:11:55.149 --> 00:12:00.509 always elders of a church. It's not elder. They 00:12:00.509 --> 00:12:04.230 operate together as a council of elders. Because 00:12:04.230 --> 00:12:07.879 one guy can get it wrong a lot, right? Sometimes 00:12:07.879 --> 00:12:10.340 we need a council. We always need a council. 00:12:10.679 --> 00:12:14.940 Many advisors to speak in to the shepherding 00:12:14.940 --> 00:12:18.059 process of God's flock. You might think of it 00:12:18.059 --> 00:12:20.659 as a team of doctors in a trauma unit. You have 00:12:20.659 --> 00:12:23.500 one who is maybe more experienced in years. They've 00:12:23.500 --> 00:12:26.059 been there longer. But you have another one who's 00:12:26.059 --> 00:12:29.200 a specialist in a certain field. But they're 00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:32.139 all equally on call for the care of the patient. 00:12:32.779 --> 00:12:36.059 And that's what elders are, co -laborers. for 00:12:36.059 --> 00:12:40.600 the care of the souls of God's people. And so 00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:43.500 Peter moves from who the elders are to how they 00:12:43.500 --> 00:12:46.000 are to lead, and he starts by addressing the 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:48.460 motive of the heart. If you're taking notes, 00:12:48.519 --> 00:12:50.960 the second point I'll have you write down, shepherds 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:57.480 must lead with willingness, not compulsion. Peter 00:12:57.480 --> 00:13:02.860 writes, shepherd God's flock among you. I want 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:04.779 you to notice that phrase right at the beginning. 00:13:05.389 --> 00:13:10.049 The flock doesn't belong to the elders. It doesn't 00:13:10.049 --> 00:13:13.149 belong to the lead pastor. It doesn't belong 00:13:13.149 --> 00:13:16.129 to the church board. The flock belongs to who? 00:13:17.230 --> 00:13:22.889 God. Shepherd, God's flock. And it's been entrusted 00:13:22.889 --> 00:13:26.169 to the care of under shepherds among you, it 00:13:26.169 --> 00:13:28.710 says. And this means that it isn't some kind 00:13:28.710 --> 00:13:32.730 of distant leadership. It's life on life shepherding. 00:13:32.769 --> 00:13:37.149 It's proximity. It's presence. It's people focused. 00:13:38.889 --> 00:13:41.549 But Peter continues and says, not overseeing 00:13:41.549 --> 00:13:44.029 out a compulsion, but willingly as God would 00:13:44.029 --> 00:13:48.889 have you. This is about the posture of a shepherd's 00:13:48.889 --> 00:13:52.110 heart. Peter says, if you're doing this just 00:13:52.110 --> 00:13:54.669 because you feel forced to, if you're doing this 00:13:54.669 --> 00:13:58.000 just to fill a role. or because someone pressured 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:00.879 you into it, or because nobody else stepped up. 00:14:00.919 --> 00:14:05.299 You need to stop and check your heart. The word 00:14:05.299 --> 00:14:10.299 compulsion is the idea of reluctant duty. It's 00:14:10.299 --> 00:14:13.500 the difference between joyful service and mere 00:14:13.500 --> 00:14:18.899 obligation. And Peter says, that's not how God 00:14:18.899 --> 00:14:23.460 wants his flock led. Instead, he wants it led 00:14:23.460 --> 00:14:28.289 willingly as God would have you. Lead with desire 00:14:28.289 --> 00:14:32.230 and not duty alone, with eagerness and not obligation. 00:14:32.549 --> 00:14:35.169 Lead because you've been gripped by the glory 00:14:35.169 --> 00:14:41.250 of God and the weight of souls. And this echoes 00:14:41.250 --> 00:14:44.789 here what Paul said in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and 00:14:44.789 --> 00:14:47.850 verse 1. If anyone aspires to be an overseer, 00:14:47.909 --> 00:14:52.889 he desires a noble task. It's a good thing to 00:14:52.889 --> 00:14:56.490 want to be a shepherd. It's not arrogant, it's 00:14:56.490 --> 00:14:59.750 not selfish, it's noble if the desire comes from 00:14:59.750 --> 00:15:02.330 a heart that loves Jesus and loves his people. 00:15:05.950 --> 00:15:08.149 But let's be clear, being an elder or pastor 00:15:08.149 --> 00:15:12.610 is not about status. It's not about being in 00:15:12.610 --> 00:15:14.470 the room where all the decisions are made or 00:15:14.470 --> 00:15:17.470 about influence or visibility. It's about serving 00:15:17.470 --> 00:15:20.070 the church as God would have you, which means 00:15:20.070 --> 00:15:25.000 willingly, humbly, and faithfully. You can imagine 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:30.320 a kid at a game and the kid is, you know, busting 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:32.259 his butt, running back and forth, kicking the 00:15:32.259 --> 00:15:34.399 ball, right? And dad's on the sidelines and dad 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:36.799 has his cell phone up and he's looking at his 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:38.340 cell phone the whole time. He's got his arms 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:41.159 crossed. He's distracted. He's checking his watch. 00:15:41.340 --> 00:15:44.679 He may be present, but he is reluctantly present, 00:15:44.980 --> 00:15:48.980 yes? And that's what Peter is warning against. 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:51.919 He's saying, don't shepherd that way. Don't just 00:15:51.919 --> 00:16:00.960 show up. lead with your whole heart. Third, shepherds 00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:04.700 must lead with integrity, not greed or power. 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:10.299 He says, not out of greed for money, but eagerly, 00:16:10.299 --> 00:16:13.399 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but 00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:15.960 being examples to the flock. Can you guys already 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:21.100 see in some ways how different? At least our 00:16:21.100 --> 00:16:22.740 understanding of church and church leadership 00:16:22.740 --> 00:16:26.379 is from the biblical ideal or norm, the commands. 00:16:27.299 --> 00:16:29.860 You might be reading along going, that's not 00:16:29.860 --> 00:16:34.679 the way it is. Probably because you've had plenty 00:16:34.679 --> 00:16:41.059 of evidence to the contrary, right? We're laying 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:44.740 out the word. We're laying out the commands of 00:16:44.740 --> 00:16:50.240 God. We're looking to them to respond. And Peter 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:52.200 continues his charge to elders, and he says, 00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:55.480 hey, I'm going to shift from why we lead to how 00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:59.679 we lead and focus on integrity. Listen again. 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:02.860 He says, not out of greed for money, but eagerly. 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:07.140 In other words, don't do it for a paycheck. Don't 00:17:07.140 --> 00:17:09.680 do it for the perks. Don't lead because of what 00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:12.400 you get. Lead because of what you're willing 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:17.420 to give. It's not wrong for a pastor or elder 00:17:17.420 --> 00:17:20.019 to be financially supported by the church. In 00:17:20.019 --> 00:17:22.519 fact, scripture says the elders who are good 00:17:22.519 --> 00:17:24.680 leaders and especially those who devote themselves 00:17:24.680 --> 00:17:27.900 to preaching and teaching are worthy of double 00:17:27.900 --> 00:17:32.259 honor. And double honor is an idiom for the idea 00:17:32.259 --> 00:17:35.940 of the honor of being an elder and the honor 00:17:35.940 --> 00:17:38.079 of being paid financially because it goes right 00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:42.059 on to saying. Don't muzzle the ox while it treads 00:17:42.059 --> 00:17:45.700 the grain. And 1 Corinthians 9 .14 says a laborer 00:17:45.700 --> 00:17:48.140 deserves his wage. Peter isn't addressing the 00:17:48.140 --> 00:17:50.140 issue of pay. He's addressing the issue of motive. 00:17:50.279 --> 00:17:55.839 An elder, pastor, overseer's motive must be to 00:17:55.839 --> 00:17:58.579 lead with integrity and care for the flock, not 00:17:58.579 --> 00:18:02.559 out of greed. If money is the reason someone 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:04.859 is in the ministry, and unfortunately, I've had 00:18:04.859 --> 00:18:08.779 the unfortunate, not privilege, whatever, honor, 00:18:09.549 --> 00:18:12.970 The negative one experience, the unfortunate 00:18:12.970 --> 00:18:17.009 experience of having had many conversations with 00:18:17.009 --> 00:18:20.430 pastors who, especially at the last half of their 00:18:20.430 --> 00:18:23.750 life, decided that they were going to stay in 00:18:23.750 --> 00:18:26.849 ministry for decades even because they didn't 00:18:26.849 --> 00:18:29.190 plan for retirement and they needed the paycheck. 00:18:31.250 --> 00:18:34.950 Decades. And that's not to say that the church 00:18:34.950 --> 00:18:37.759 didn't bear some responsibility in that. in the 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:39.500 sense of how they sewed into it and prepared 00:18:39.500 --> 00:18:42.220 the pastor for retirement. But at the same time, 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:45.759 pastors who said, willingly said, I can't retire, 00:18:45.980 --> 00:18:48.480 I can't move out because I need the paycheck. 00:18:50.220 --> 00:18:53.140 And to see the effects that that had on the church 00:18:53.140 --> 00:18:57.920 and on the reach of the gospel. If money is the 00:18:57.920 --> 00:19:00.079 reason someone is in ministry or if personal 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:02.680 gain drives decision -making, it will corrupt 00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:06.710 the soul of the flock. It will poison. God's 00:19:06.710 --> 00:19:09.910 people. And this actually happened in the days 00:19:09.910 --> 00:19:12.849 of the prophets in the Old Testament when shepherds 00:19:12.849 --> 00:19:15.369 who were over Israel, they enriched themselves 00:19:15.369 --> 00:19:18.869 on the flock while neglecting the sheep. the 00:19:18.869 --> 00:19:22.109 people of Israel. In Ezekiel chapter 34, the 00:19:22.109 --> 00:19:25.210 indictment, you eat the fat, you wear the wool 00:19:25.210 --> 00:19:27.869 and butcher the fattened animals, but you do 00:19:27.869 --> 00:19:31.329 not tend the flock. You rule them with violence 00:19:31.329 --> 00:19:34.549 and cruelty. This was God's indictment against 00:19:34.549 --> 00:19:39.529 the shepherds of Israel. Peter says this must 00:19:39.529 --> 00:19:44.680 never happen in Christ's church. And he goes 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:47.539 on from money to say, not lording it over those 00:19:47.539 --> 00:19:49.900 entrusted to you, but being an example to the 00:19:49.900 --> 00:19:54.240 flock. And the second temptation is like the 00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:56.460 first. Greed is the first. The second is power. 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:01.640 Power and greed. Has anyone lost their way over 00:20:01.640 --> 00:20:08.500 those two things? The word lording it over is 00:20:08.500 --> 00:20:10.619 the same word that Jesus used in Mark chapter 00:20:10.619 --> 00:20:13.339 10 when he told his disciples. you're not going 00:20:13.339 --> 00:20:16.940 to lead like the Gentiles lead. The Gentiles 00:20:16.940 --> 00:20:20.099 lord it over them, and those in high positions 00:20:20.099 --> 00:20:24.380 act as tyrants over them, but it is not so among 00:20:24.380 --> 00:20:29.160 you. In the world, leadership is often about 00:20:29.160 --> 00:20:32.359 power and platform or visibility, but in the 00:20:32.359 --> 00:20:37.200 church, leadership is about service. And Peter 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:40.619 says, don't dominate the flock. Don't manipulate 00:20:40.619 --> 00:20:43.839 or coerce. Don't use your position to build your 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:47.740 kingdom. Instead, lead by example, not barking 00:20:47.740 --> 00:20:50.819 orders, not by making demands, but by showing 00:20:50.819 --> 00:20:54.279 what is humble, showing what joyful obedience 00:20:54.279 --> 00:21:00.660 looks like. Shepherds go first. There's an old 00:21:00.660 --> 00:21:02.660 leadership saying that's been adopted to the 00:21:02.660 --> 00:21:04.900 idea of shepherding in the church, and it goes 00:21:04.900 --> 00:21:08.039 like this. Shepherds know the way, go the way, 00:21:08.119 --> 00:21:11.660 and show the way. Shepherds know the way, go 00:21:11.660 --> 00:21:15.019 the way, and show the way. But that's not just 00:21:15.019 --> 00:21:17.420 in decision -making. That's not just in the boardroom 00:21:17.420 --> 00:21:19.539 when everyone gets together and the verdicts 00:21:19.539 --> 00:21:22.359 come down. Shepherds know the way, go the way, 00:21:22.420 --> 00:21:26.630 and show the way in repentance. Shepherds know 00:21:26.630 --> 00:21:29.589 the way and go the way and show the way in sacrifice, 00:21:29.710 --> 00:21:36.549 in generosity, in love, in faithfulness. Elders 00:21:36.549 --> 00:21:40.069 and pastors don't just point the way, they walk 00:21:40.069 --> 00:21:45.710 the path. They don't say, you need to forgive. 00:21:46.029 --> 00:21:50.569 They say, watch me forgive. They don't say, you 00:21:50.569 --> 00:21:53.849 need to serve. They say, come, come alongside. 00:21:54.950 --> 00:21:57.690 Brother to brother, sister to brother, arm in 00:21:57.690 --> 00:22:03.589 arm. Let's serve the Lord together. They don't 00:22:03.589 --> 00:22:05.710 say, you should love God more. They say, let 00:22:05.710 --> 00:22:10.910 me show you what that looks like. I had a brother 00:22:10.910 --> 00:22:14.849 early on in my faith. He was a leader in our 00:22:14.849 --> 00:22:18.730 church. And he wanted to show me what prayer 00:22:18.730 --> 00:22:21.650 looked like. And so he said, I'll be at your 00:22:21.650 --> 00:22:26.119 door at 6 a .m. Every morning for the next month. 00:22:27.319 --> 00:22:30.599 And I didn't drive at the time. And he came over 00:22:30.599 --> 00:22:34.000 and picked me up at 6 a .m. And we drove to the 00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:37.400 church. And we laid out on the floor. And we 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:40.539 learned how to pray. And he showed me the way. 00:22:40.599 --> 00:22:42.720 He sat me to say, learn how to pray. Figure out 00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:46.559 how to pray. But he came and showed me the way. 00:22:50.220 --> 00:22:53.279 This is leadership by imitation. And it applies 00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:55.839 to evangelism and prayer and worship and giving 00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:59.220 and faith and so on. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, 00:22:59.380 --> 00:23:05.859 imitate me as I imitate Christ. Number four. 00:23:10.900 --> 00:23:12.799 I'm wondering if any of our type A people are 00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:15.059 trying to guess how many points there are. Because 00:23:15.059 --> 00:23:16.579 I'm usually right around three or four and you're 00:23:16.579 --> 00:23:19.380 like, four? Is there going to be five or six 00:23:19.380 --> 00:23:31.349 or nine? Wrap it up. Taipei's, there's five points. 00:23:31.369 --> 00:23:37.369 We're on four. It's coming. Number four, shepherds 00:23:37.369 --> 00:23:42.390 must lead with the chief shepherd in view. When 00:23:42.390 --> 00:23:45.009 the chief shepherd appears, you will receive 00:23:45.009 --> 00:23:50.109 the unfading crown of glory. So Peter, after 00:23:50.109 --> 00:23:53.130 challenging the elders to lead with humility 00:23:53.130 --> 00:23:56.809 and integrity and willingness or eagerness, Peter 00:23:56.809 --> 00:24:01.670 now lifts their eyes up to the finish line. And 00:24:01.670 --> 00:24:04.250 he says, when the chief shepherd appears, and 00:24:04.250 --> 00:24:05.950 this word chief shepherd, it only appears in 00:24:05.950 --> 00:24:09.250 the New Testament here in 1 Peter chapter 5. 00:24:09.349 --> 00:24:12.410 And it's meant to remind every pastor and every 00:24:12.410 --> 00:24:15.170 elder and every ministry leader, you are not 00:24:15.170 --> 00:24:19.140 the ultimate leader of the church. Jesus is. 00:24:20.839 --> 00:24:24.460 He is the chief shepherd. He is the head of the 00:24:24.460 --> 00:24:26.920 church. He is the good shepherd who lays his 00:24:26.920 --> 00:24:30.039 life down for the sheep. He's the one who calls 00:24:30.039 --> 00:24:34.099 and equips and sends. And every elder is just 00:24:34.099 --> 00:24:37.259 an under shepherd serving at the pleasure of 00:24:37.259 --> 00:24:40.220 the chief. We don't set the mission, he does. 00:24:40.900 --> 00:24:44.680 We don't own the flock, he bought it. We don't 00:24:44.680 --> 00:24:48.519 dictate the outcome, he determines it. And Peter 00:24:48.519 --> 00:24:52.859 says he's coming back. He's like the master who 00:24:52.859 --> 00:24:57.980 entrusted to the servants this thing. His church, 00:24:58.059 --> 00:25:00.700 his people entrusted it to them and went away, 00:25:00.859 --> 00:25:06.779 but he's coming back. And when the chief shepherd 00:25:06.779 --> 00:25:10.480 appears, a reference to the return of Christ, 00:25:10.819 --> 00:25:15.720 when he appears, Peter says to the faithful, 00:25:17.110 --> 00:25:22.269 Elder, overseer, bishop, shepherd. Overseer, 00:25:22.289 --> 00:25:24.269 bishop, you'll see those interchangeable too. 00:25:25.390 --> 00:25:29.890 When the chief shepherd appears, you will receive 00:25:29.890 --> 00:25:34.549 the unfading crown of glory. It's a promise to 00:25:34.549 --> 00:25:36.250 the shepherds. It's also a promise elsewhere 00:25:36.250 --> 00:25:39.230 to believers in general, a crown, but it is a 00:25:39.230 --> 00:25:43.069 special promise here to leaders, shepherds, under 00:25:43.069 --> 00:25:46.150 shepherds in the church. If you are faithful, 00:25:46.809 --> 00:25:50.970 You don't dominate or domineer over the flock. 00:25:51.109 --> 00:25:54.170 If you're not greedy, if you're faithful with 00:25:54.170 --> 00:25:57.490 what I've entrusted you, a crown of glory awaits 00:25:57.490 --> 00:26:00.470 when he returns an unfading crown. And in Peter's 00:26:00.470 --> 00:26:03.549 day, the victorious athletes would receive kind 00:26:03.549 --> 00:26:06.930 of like a wreath, a crown that was made of flowers 00:26:06.930 --> 00:26:10.829 or leaves or sometimes even parsley. Basically, 00:26:10.829 --> 00:26:12.509 you would cross the finish line and someone would 00:26:12.509 --> 00:26:14.950 walk over with a salad and put it on your head, 00:26:15.009 --> 00:26:18.640 right? You could munch on it if you wanted to 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:20.619 right away. You could save it for a few days. 00:26:21.539 --> 00:26:27.680 I'd need some ranch though. But what happens 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:32.680 with a crown of salad? It dies, it fades, it 00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:36.599 goes away and pretty soon it's hard leaves that 00:26:36.599 --> 00:26:40.559 just break up and they're dust. You could win 00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:43.099 the triathlon at the Greek games or whatever 00:26:43.099 --> 00:26:45.710 they had, right? You could be the victor and 00:26:45.710 --> 00:26:48.130 go home with your salad and be gone within a 00:26:48.130 --> 00:26:55.309 week, right? And that's why Peter says, there's 00:26:55.309 --> 00:26:58.690 a crown that's coming that doesn't fade. It's 00:26:58.690 --> 00:27:01.670 a reward of eternal glory given by the hands 00:27:01.670 --> 00:27:06.470 of Jesus himself to the faithful. And notice 00:27:06.470 --> 00:27:08.690 something, that Peter doesn't say you get a crown, 00:27:08.910 --> 00:27:11.349 leaders, shepherds, you get a crown for being 00:27:11.349 --> 00:27:15.960 successful. You get a crown for having a big 00:27:15.960 --> 00:27:18.099 church or having innovative programs or having 00:27:18.099 --> 00:27:21.440 cutting -edge worship or sermons. He says the 00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:26.279 reward is for faithfulness. Faithfulness, not 00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:31.259 fame, not fruitfulness in terms of numbers, just 00:27:31.259 --> 00:27:36.400 faithfulness to Jesus and to his people. Why 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:40.059 does Peter say this? Why does he give this image 00:27:40.059 --> 00:27:44.990 of glory, this hope? held out for leaders. And 00:27:44.990 --> 00:27:48.509 the reason is, make no mistake, ministry is hard. 00:27:50.390 --> 00:27:53.509 And all leadership, all forms of it, but even 00:27:53.509 --> 00:27:55.789 more so in the church, leadership is costly. 00:27:58.170 --> 00:28:00.750 Shepherding a church will stretch you, it will 00:28:00.750 --> 00:28:05.670 wound you, and some days it will crush you. You'll 00:28:05.670 --> 00:28:09.470 be misunderstood. You'll be underappreciated. 00:28:10.679 --> 00:28:15.779 Some days overappreciated, but. You'll feel the 00:28:15.779 --> 00:28:18.279 weight of decisions that no one else will ever 00:28:18.279 --> 00:28:24.900 see or know about. I saw this in a video of a 00:28:24.900 --> 00:28:28.440 guy who was, it was a training video, trying 00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:30.740 to get people, it had like two purposes. It was 00:28:30.740 --> 00:28:32.880 like, come and join our seminary and become a 00:28:32.880 --> 00:28:34.940 pastor. But the first video we're gonna have 00:28:34.940 --> 00:28:37.099 you watch is to try to discourage you from going 00:28:37.099 --> 00:28:43.039 into the ministry. And it was funny, but he said 00:28:43.039 --> 00:28:46.759 in this video, he said, oftentimes as shepherds, 00:28:46.799 --> 00:28:50.140 people will come and ask for something. And they 00:28:50.140 --> 00:28:57.500 have that sense of now with no context whatsoever 00:28:57.500 --> 00:29:01.079 of what you just did or what you've been doing. 00:29:02.160 --> 00:29:04.660 No one comes and says, do you still have a few 00:29:04.660 --> 00:29:08.319 minutes left in your 40 -hour work week? That 00:29:08.319 --> 00:29:09.920 you could step aside? No, they don't, right? 00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:16.819 Sheep, we're messy, right? We got problems. Sometimes 00:29:16.819 --> 00:29:21.940 you just feel the weight of things pressing in 00:29:21.940 --> 00:29:25.299 on you. As a shepherd, you'll watch as people 00:29:25.299 --> 00:29:29.059 come and then they drift away. And the heartbreak 00:29:29.059 --> 00:29:34.940 of seeing a life wander. And some days you may 00:29:34.940 --> 00:29:38.880 wonder if it's worth it. You know, about 50 % 00:29:38.880 --> 00:29:43.500 of pastors, pastors from the time that they enter 00:29:43.500 --> 00:29:47.880 the role of pastor, 50 % of them will be no longer 00:29:47.880 --> 00:29:54.799 a pastor within 10 years. 50 % gone. Because 00:29:54.799 --> 00:30:01.519 it's a lot. But is it worth it? And Peter says, 00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:06.259 yes. It's absolutely worth it. It's not worth 00:30:06.259 --> 00:30:08.839 it for the glory here on earth. It's not worth 00:30:08.839 --> 00:30:12.099 it out of greed. It's not worth it for domineering 00:30:12.099 --> 00:30:14.539 or as a power play. That's not worth it. But 00:30:14.539 --> 00:30:16.859 it is worth it because one day the chief shepherd 00:30:16.859 --> 00:30:19.700 will come and he'll have seen every single sacrifice 00:30:19.700 --> 00:30:22.240 that was made. He'll see every hidden act of 00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:24.920 service or every decision. He'll see every prayer 00:30:24.920 --> 00:30:27.740 and every tear and every sermon and every moment 00:30:27.740 --> 00:30:30.240 you stayed faithful when no one noticed. He will 00:30:30.240 --> 00:30:32.839 come and he will come back. and he will look, 00:30:32.859 --> 00:30:34.660 and he won't give you applause, and he won't 00:30:34.660 --> 00:30:36.339 give you a paycheck, but what he'll give you 00:30:36.339 --> 00:30:39.900 is a crown of glory, it says, not to elevate 00:30:39.900 --> 00:30:43.980 your name, but so that you can share in his. 00:30:45.319 --> 00:30:49.799 Who is worthy of it all? He is worthy of it all. 00:30:50.799 --> 00:30:52.980 And you will receive a crown of faithfulness, 00:30:53.019 --> 00:30:55.180 and I love the scripture that Nick read earlier, 00:30:55.380 --> 00:30:58.200 because what are the 24 elders doing before the 00:30:58.200 --> 00:31:02.569 throne of God? They're like, thanks for the crown, 00:31:02.829 --> 00:31:06.670 the crown of glory. We want to now use this as 00:31:06.670 --> 00:31:08.890 an implement of worship to just throw it before 00:31:08.890 --> 00:31:11.809 your throne and say, you're worthy. You're worthy. 00:31:11.849 --> 00:31:15.630 You're worthy of it all, God. Giving us tools 00:31:15.630 --> 00:31:19.109 for worship later on in heaven so you can throw 00:31:19.109 --> 00:31:21.190 them down before the chief shepherd, the one 00:31:21.190 --> 00:31:25.289 who is worthy of it all. That's pretty cool. 00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:31.019 Peter is saying, elder, pastor, shepherd, your 00:31:31.019 --> 00:31:34.680 day will come when the chief shepherd appears. 00:31:35.880 --> 00:31:40.480 Keep your eyes on him. And finally, number five, 00:31:40.660 --> 00:31:47.559 the flock must follow with humility. In the same 00:31:47.559 --> 00:31:49.880 way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. 00:31:49.960 --> 00:31:52.759 All of you clothe yourself with humility toward 00:31:52.759 --> 00:31:55.500 one another because God resists the proud but 00:31:55.500 --> 00:32:01.490 gives grace. To the humble. Peter shifts from 00:32:01.490 --> 00:32:04.650 the shepherds to the sheep. And he spent four 00:32:04.650 --> 00:32:07.470 verses challenging and calling elders to lead 00:32:07.470 --> 00:32:10.450 well. To lead humbly and willingly and faithfully. 00:32:10.549 --> 00:32:12.650 But now he turns to the rest of the church. And 00:32:12.650 --> 00:32:16.089 he says, you have a role to play as well. And 00:32:16.089 --> 00:32:18.190 he begins in the same way. You who are younger, 00:32:18.289 --> 00:32:20.329 be subject to elders. And there is some debate 00:32:20.329 --> 00:32:22.269 over what that word younger means. Especially 00:32:22.269 --> 00:32:26.039 in this context. But because of the context, 00:32:26.079 --> 00:32:28.359 the context can give us some clues. And the context 00:32:28.359 --> 00:32:32.160 is in response to what he just talked about, 00:32:32.240 --> 00:32:36.359 shepherding and overseeing and eldering. And 00:32:36.359 --> 00:32:38.720 so one interpretation is that younger simply 00:32:38.720 --> 00:32:41.240 means younger in age. And that's entirely possible. 00:32:42.480 --> 00:32:45.480 But another one of equal weight is that younger 00:32:45.480 --> 00:32:48.740 here refers to those who don't have a position 00:32:48.740 --> 00:32:51.359 of spiritual authority. When you're translating 00:32:51.359 --> 00:32:54.000 from the Greek into the English, sometimes it 00:32:54.000 --> 00:32:56.380 can get lost and the word that's chosen just 00:32:56.380 --> 00:32:59.480 doesn't make sense to us. And so in this case, 00:32:59.500 --> 00:33:02.480 it could be that younger means those who just 00:33:02.480 --> 00:33:05.259 don't have a role or a spiritual authority role 00:33:05.259 --> 00:33:08.180 within the church. Those who are called to follow 00:33:08.180 --> 00:33:11.630 and not to lead. But even if it includes literal 00:33:11.630 --> 00:33:14.170 youth, which it would, the broader principle 00:33:14.170 --> 00:33:16.410 is clear throughout the word that those under 00:33:16.410 --> 00:33:20.230 authority are to be humble in posture and responsive 00:33:20.230 --> 00:33:24.009 in spirit. He says to the younger, be subject. 00:33:24.130 --> 00:33:26.150 And that's the same word that's been used throughout 00:33:26.150 --> 00:33:29.150 1 Peter as we've studied it to refer to our posture 00:33:29.150 --> 00:33:31.970 toward governing officials, wives to husbands, 00:33:32.230 --> 00:33:35.049 servants to masters. It means willingly following 00:33:35.049 --> 00:33:38.690 spiritual leadership. recognizing that elders 00:33:38.690 --> 00:33:41.690 are appointed by God to care for the flock. And 00:33:41.690 --> 00:33:44.029 if you want a little more evidence to back that 00:33:44.029 --> 00:33:46.569 up, then just turn over to Hebrews chapter 13, 00:33:46.750 --> 00:33:48.789 where it says it a little bit more directly. 00:33:49.930 --> 00:33:53.430 Hebrews 13 and verse 17 says, Obey your leaders 00:33:53.430 --> 00:33:56.750 and submit to them, since they keep watch over 00:33:56.750 --> 00:33:59.730 your souls as those who will give an account 00:33:59.730 --> 00:34:03.650 so that they can do this with joy and not with 00:34:03.650 --> 00:34:06.289 grief, for that would be unprofitable to you. 00:34:08.139 --> 00:34:11.500 Obey and submit to them because they keep watch 00:34:11.500 --> 00:34:13.019 over your souls as those who give an account. 00:34:13.119 --> 00:34:15.900 There's the accounting word, right? When the 00:34:15.900 --> 00:34:17.800 chief shepherd appears, you will have to give 00:34:17.800 --> 00:34:20.980 an account. Just like the master and the servants, 00:34:21.119 --> 00:34:23.179 you have to give an account. And the account 00:34:23.179 --> 00:34:25.000 that the shepherds of God's church will have 00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:30.340 to give is how did they care for the flock? And 00:34:30.340 --> 00:34:32.199 the author of Hebrews says, obey your leaders 00:34:32.199 --> 00:34:34.400 and submit to them knowing that they have to 00:34:34.400 --> 00:34:36.300 give an account for how they care for your soul. 00:34:38.829 --> 00:34:41.210 And do it also so that it will be a joy to them 00:34:41.210 --> 00:34:44.150 and not a grief. For that would be unprofitable 00:34:44.150 --> 00:34:48.989 to you. The job is never a grief. Never. Ever. 00:34:50.250 --> 00:34:57.030 Dripping with sarcasm, right? No. But you play 00:34:57.030 --> 00:35:00.969 a part in that. In how you respond to the shepherding 00:35:00.969 --> 00:35:05.030 of our elders and our pastors and leaders. You 00:35:05.030 --> 00:35:07.429 play a part in that and how you respond to it. 00:35:08.599 --> 00:35:11.820 And whether or not it is a joy or a grief, and 00:35:11.820 --> 00:35:14.519 whether or not it hurts the profitability of 00:35:14.519 --> 00:35:19.260 care that you receive. And it's not about control. 00:35:19.340 --> 00:35:21.539 It's about tethering our trust, as we talked 00:35:21.539 --> 00:35:23.820 about before, tethering our trust to God and 00:35:23.820 --> 00:35:27.360 walking in light of that trust. This never means 00:35:27.360 --> 00:35:30.420 submitting to sinful requirements or prohibitions. 00:35:30.420 --> 00:35:32.719 A spiritual leader who abuses their position 00:35:32.719 --> 00:35:35.960 to manipulate or call people to sin or to abstain 00:35:35.960 --> 00:35:38.320 from something that is right is wicked and should 00:35:38.320 --> 00:35:44.500 be removed immediately in every way. But a leader 00:35:44.500 --> 00:35:46.760 who is submitted to the truth and is walking 00:35:46.760 --> 00:35:49.880 in the light, a leader who is, with all of their 00:35:49.880 --> 00:35:54.840 aim, aiming to be faithful and willing, the Bible 00:35:54.840 --> 00:35:58.469 says, to submit. So that it will be profitable 00:35:58.469 --> 00:36:01.190 and joyful for them, profitable to you. Because 00:36:01.190 --> 00:36:08.150 they have to give an account for your soul. And 00:36:08.150 --> 00:36:12.889 finally, Peter zooms out and says, all of you, 00:36:12.949 --> 00:36:18.090 elders, members, leaders, followers, all of you 00:36:18.090 --> 00:36:20.110 clothe yourself with humility toward one another. 00:36:21.170 --> 00:36:25.010 Because God opposes the proud, but gives grace 00:36:25.010 --> 00:36:29.179 to the humble. And that's a direct quote from 00:36:29.179 --> 00:36:32.739 Proverbs 3, 34. And that's sobering truth, right? 00:36:33.159 --> 00:36:36.599 Pride puts you in opposition to God. Humility 00:36:36.599 --> 00:36:42.880 opens up the flow of grace. And you probably 00:36:42.880 --> 00:36:45.139 see that too. God doesn't just dislike pride. 00:36:46.539 --> 00:36:50.079 He doesn't just dislike pride in people of God, 00:36:50.179 --> 00:36:51.960 in the leaders, the shepherds. He doesn't just 00:36:51.960 --> 00:36:57.349 dislike it. He actively resists it. But in the 00:36:57.349 --> 00:36:59.570 same way, he actively pours out grace on those 00:36:59.570 --> 00:37:03.789 who are humble. And Peter here in chapter 5 has 00:37:03.789 --> 00:37:05.829 shown us what it means to be a healthy, humble, 00:37:05.949 --> 00:37:11.070 Christ -centered church. Shepherds in God's flock, 00:37:11.349 --> 00:37:16.829 under his care. This passage reminds us that 00:37:16.829 --> 00:37:20.150 the church isn't a business to run. It's not 00:37:20.150 --> 00:37:24.030 a brand to protect. It's a flock, a people dearly 00:37:24.030 --> 00:37:26.590 loved by God who are bought with the blood of 00:37:26.590 --> 00:37:28.829 Jesus and entrusted to the care of shepherds 00:37:28.829 --> 00:37:31.750 who are under his authority. And Peter calls 00:37:31.750 --> 00:37:35.550 pastors and elders to lead, not with pride, but 00:37:35.550 --> 00:37:38.449 with humility and willingness and integrity. 00:37:39.789 --> 00:37:42.789 And he calls the whole church to walk in mutual 00:37:42.789 --> 00:37:45.429 submission and Christ -like humility as we fix 00:37:45.429 --> 00:37:48.690 our eyes on Jesus, the chief shepherd. So how 00:37:48.690 --> 00:37:51.530 should we respond? Well, if you are called to 00:37:51.530 --> 00:37:53.969 lead and you have been given that authority, 00:37:54.250 --> 00:37:56.909 then are you leading with a heart that is rooted 00:37:56.909 --> 00:38:01.909 in Christ? Are you showing up with eagerness 00:38:01.909 --> 00:38:08.030 or exhaustion or obligation or joy? Are you guarding 00:38:08.559 --> 00:38:12.440 your heart from greed and pride? Are you modeling 00:38:12.440 --> 00:38:15.280 what it looks like to follow Jesus, not just 00:38:15.280 --> 00:38:20.079 telling others to do it? And to those who are 00:38:20.079 --> 00:38:23.260 called to follow, are you willing to be led? 00:38:24.739 --> 00:38:28.280 Do you trust the spiritual authority that God 00:38:28.280 --> 00:38:31.159 has given is a gift from God and not a threat 00:38:31.159 --> 00:38:36.130 to your autonomy? Are you building the kind of 00:38:36.130 --> 00:38:38.389 spirit in your heart that makes leadership a 00:38:38.389 --> 00:38:42.250 joy and not a burden? Are you quick to encourage 00:38:42.250 --> 00:38:45.929 and slow to criticize, eager to listen and humble 00:38:45.929 --> 00:38:52.070 in posture? And to all of us, we have to remember 00:38:52.070 --> 00:38:57.570 we're all sheep. All of us. Let's play that video 00:38:57.570 --> 00:39:16.710 one more time, Dave. Just for some giggles. I 00:39:16.710 --> 00:39:19.250 love that it jumps in the air. It doesn't just 00:39:19.250 --> 00:39:23.510 fall in. It's like... Now slow -mo. Here we go. 00:39:24.769 --> 00:39:36.039 Play -by -play. See ya. all under the care of 00:39:36.039 --> 00:39:38.579 the chief shepherd. I can't believe he has to 00:39:38.579 --> 00:39:42.880 deal with us. And when he returns, and he will, 00:39:43.039 --> 00:39:45.559 may we all be found faithful, amen.