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August 2, 2022 12:00 am
Welcome to the intense contact details for Tuesday, August 2 20 new team to support your church leaders as they guide the body of Christ learn about the scriptural view and the under shepherd the study of first Peter continues all of those of wanted a society where the church has a structure depends upon which family you were born into and which denomination they belong to is the which church structure you were born into. So we have all kinds of people who come from all kinds of different backgrounds. We could just go on up down the street get all these different churches that operate a different way and so were all supposed to be doing what this book says that whenever you violate the principle of Scripture. No matter what the violation is there is always a penalty and one of the violations that goes on in churches often times is the way it operates. We have been in first Peter four months of months now and we come to chapter 5 in the first four verses which talks about the role of the under shepherd in the life of the church which is speaking about the pastor all the pastors. I believe we need a clear understanding of the role of those whom God places and responsibility in the fellowship and someone began by reading chapter 5 verses one through four, Peter says therefore I rigged I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ and a partaker also the glory that is to be revealed. Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily according to the will of God and not presort again. That is the money but with eagerness not yet as lording it over those a lot of your charge, but proving to be an example to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory so he says the first responsibility of the pastor is that they shepherd the flock now what is he mean by shepherding the flock. Notice what he says shepherd the flock of God. Now once you listen carefully shepherd the flock of God he didn't say shepherd the flock of the pastor when somebody makes the remarkable that Stanley's church. I want to go on record. This is not my church. This is God's church. I happen to be the man that God sent here for a season of time. This is a my church is God's church. He didn't say shepherd the flock of the overseer of the pasties that shepherd the flock of God you don't lead sheet by beating the sheep you lead them by feeding them and what do you feed.
Listen to what Paul said to Timothy in second Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 he said about the word of God.
All Scripture is inspired of God and profitable for teaching a reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.
Therefore, if the sheep in the scholarship is to be fed, then to be fed from the word of God which teaches reproof corrects and trains in righteousness, that is the responsibility of the shepherd is that not what Jesus said to Peter in those last days. He said Peter lover Salome said, feed my sheep. My primary responsibility as a pastor is the feed the flock that is my first priority in order to do that. Something must be going on my own life in order for something to be going on in my own life. You must assume some responsibility. You must assume the responsibility of praying for God to speak to my heart convict me of sin keep me right with him, keep me committed to him in the word of God. Understanding the word of God in order that makes found the truth of God to you and assembly that is a body of Christ. The church has an awesome responsibility to the pastor as well as the pastor having responsibility to them, feeding the flock.
Secondly, I shepherd on the fees that she but he tends to sheet. That is, he takes care of them while think about the ways that he takes care of my think of James chapter 5 when he says, is any among you sick let him call for the elders of the church, let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who sick them. I will raise him up his committed sins, they'll be forgiving one. The responsibilities of the elder past the bishops, shepherds is attending the sheep not only to God, the sheep, but the guard them.
You recall back open. Chapter 20 of acts with Paul said there again as he was admonishing these men in charge who were responsible for what was happening to the body is what he said to them, he said the own guard for yourselves and for the flock among you, which the Holy Spirit is made you overseers, to oversee to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood he says because I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, he says, and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw with the disciples after them is the responsibility of the shepherd to detect arrow era indoctrinated any kind of disunity and disharmony fellowship.
Someone was to get off on some wrong doctrine is my responsibility and the responsibility of the other pastors to detect that and are rooted out and to get rid of it. That is part of the responsibility of being a ship now.
First of all, he says that responsibilities the shepherd.
Secondly, notice what he says shepherd the flock of God among you, and exercising oversight. You don't want any pastor who doesn't have the strength or the courage to exercise authority and ministry. What kind of authority just a moment but he says that the elders who rule rule will be considered worthy of double honor. What I want you to see is there is authority now look, if you will, in Hebrews chapter 13 and notice what he says in this passage, he says in chapter 13 of Hebrews verse 17 obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls not mistreat you. They keep watch over yourselves as those listen as those who will give an account and once in a while somebody says lata wanted to pass the ruling over me.
Don't worry about what I want you to see is this a pastor does not assume the authority as the shepherd and that flock that he's going to be accountable to God and us know what he says, obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch of your souls.
They have an awesome responsibility as those who will give an account under God, my friend.
If a person is hung up on the idea of leadership and authority what you need. This is the other side of that those of us who are delegated authority by God's delegation had the awesome responsibility of giving an account to God one day for what we did and all we did as the shepherds of the flock and I want to tell you it's probably going to be worse on us than anybody else because we have the word of God, the awesome responsibility of expounding it, and so the awesome responsibility is beyond my comprehension of yours.
But what about you see is yes there is authority there is responsibility and the man who fails to exercise that authority and fails the guard the sheep because he's afraid of what someone else is going to say is going to be held accountable to God and sometimes we have to deal with some very sticky situations.
We just have to say to some folks are present here not know you can't do that. It does not mean that we are exercising, domineering, autocratic control, but my friend, we have been given and delegated the responsibility of protecting and guarding this flock against arrow and against damage and so we must exercise that what he says we must remember we have to give an account to listen oversee means superintending Episcopal costs, the bishop, the overseer responsible for the work, the buck stops right here whether we like it or not is and what he says. He says shepherding the flock of God among you, exercising oversight services. This is your responsibility now. He says what is the spirit which that must be done. Then he tells he says not under compulsion, but voluntarily according the will of God and not pursuing again, but with eagerness now. He says here is this. What is the proper motivation. Peter says the proper motivation is not that you're doing a job because you have to do it. He says not out of compulsion because Paul said on one occasion when he was talking about is called the minister he says will be unto me, if I preach not the gospel. I think all of us who are in the preaching and teaching ministry could say the same thing, go tell you how God got me here take too long, but I'm here because God sent me here and will stay as long as God sees fit in with whatever he wants to take me out the scene that is in the his responsibility and his choice not mine, not out of compulsion.
He says, but rather out of the right motivation out of a desire to serve him. Listen, not under compulsion, but voluntarily according to the will of God not presort again. That is, is not for money but he says, but with eagerness that is eager to serve the Lord now had to tell you how eager I am to preach the week after week. The one I sent you on Sunday. I want you to get this.
Do you understand my friend that's coming out of a shepherd's heart whose responsibility it is the guard to get you the truth, and it is my hearts desire that you eagerly absorb the truth and applied to your heart because I know that if you violate the principle what's gonna happen. He says with eagerness, not for money.
I will tell you something that will be folks who spend the presence of God. One of these days whose God is God will keep important you keep him humble and they laugh about that.
There been many pastors out there many many pastors who end up that pastorate, no house to live in. Not enough to live alone serve God. 30 or 40 years. I will tell you my friend, those churches will answer to all mighty God for mistreating the past. I will tell you my friend. There is no way for God to bless the church he is not going to bless the mistreatment of his servants and is not going to bless the violation of the principles of Scripture.
Second, I want you to see something else.
He says the manner in which these men should do their work. Listen, he says, verse three know yet is lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proven to be an example of the flock there is no way of justifying an autocratic dictatorial ungodly unscriptural rule by any pastor who says all the decisions must be made by me. Only a fool would say that. So when somebody says where the preacher makes all the decisions, not this one. I'm not that wise.
No man is not wise in any church to make all the decisions. Together we make the decisions that when we make them, and we believe that of God with coming on strong because we believe we've gotten from God.
All families waiting and praying and discussing and listening to every Avenue notice and what he says not as lording it over them.
Therefore, the man who is the pastor and those who the pastors must exercise spiritual authority within the confines of what God says and that is exercising authority in the spirit of humility and gentleness as if we are submissive to one another, recognizing that the other man can also hear the spirit of God speaks the Holy Spirit doesn't speak just the pastors. He speaks to anybody and everybody who's willing to listen to it and therefore when godly men get on their knees. It's always been my belief that when a group of godly men get on their knees together and seek the mind of God there coming up with the same answer. Paul said, above all, keep in the unity of the faith godly men seeking godly wisdom together. Gonna come up with God's answer and Darien is the safety of God giving authority in the church for the pastors and to those who are ministering with listen not as yet lording it over those allotted to your charge, not acting like an autocratic dictator but he says proven to be examples to the flock listen.
Any man who leads by intimidation or dictatorial autocratic rule is confessing is not a good leader but we lead by example and lead by motivation lead by leaving the principles of God. What does God say we are to do and I believe that is the responsibility that is the attitude a pastor should have.
That is to be an example that does not mean we gotta be perfect.
You are to discover that I'm not perfect I'm not perfect are my weakness is not false my frailties just like every past nano does but I'm not here because I'm perfect.
I'm here because God sent me here and it is your responsibility to pray for each one of the pastors to lift up all the passes to be godly men, listening to the Lord, giving direction under God's design of authority that is authority under humility and submission to the will of God and submission to wisdom that's the way God wants operators church so he says not as yet lording it over these a lot of your charge proven to be an example to the flock. Now and when the chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Now he talks about the rewards of the pastors future reward when Jesus comes, but I will tell you about some of the reward is not future right now. I am greatly rewarded by the privilege of standing in this place every week and opening the word of God. If God didn't do anything for me in heaven at all.
As far as I'm concerned, I'm adequately rewarded the reward of being able to open the word of God. The reward of being able to have the time each week to pull over these pages and ask God to speak to my heart. Teach me truth. Help me to know and be able to know what to share and when the share so we do have the privilege of doing that. That's part of the reward part of the reward is watching what happens to you. Nothing so excites me is watching God reach down and deal with a person's life straightened out their life watching people be called the ministry go on the mission field. God straightening up their lives delivering them from all kinds of things.
Watching the body of Christ wrote a lot of rewards and being a pastor that are not future that are present. Many things that I could talk about within their difficulties being misunderstood criticism and all the rest, but after a while you get like around us was hard. It involved in the more, as long as you humbled yourself before God and obedience to him as I had to learn long time ago could listen everybody because of phenytoin listen to God and once in a while some folks think they want a week pastor who listens everybody listen.
Any man who listens to every body knows what everybody says does nothing you don't account a pastor I believe him wise enough to listen to godly counsel. There many things that are hurtful in being a pastor. But I will tell you this. I don't believe in a man of God who gets in the ministry gets in there. On the basis it was going to be good or bad on them or not, he humbled himself before the Lord God the sailor go where you want me to go. I'll do whatever you want me to do.
I'll be whatever you want me to be in all the consequences of that belong to you. When I got the ministry and I went to my first church 90 people on Sunday being signed in the summertime when all the cemeteries were there hundred and 50.
You know what it was just as incumbent upon me to be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ is the chief Shepherd then as it is now, and if I hadn't been there and I wouldn't be right here right now God is the one who moves his servants around, and I believe that God is opened up the world to us to share the gospel all around this world and multitudes of places all across this or I'm not worried about the future awards. I'm grateful for the present ones just like the rest of the pastors but he says a crown, a crown of glory for those men who have been faithful in the ministry so I want to celebrate you to say tonight. First of all, he is the shepherd. We who the pastors of the under shepherds.
I think I can speak for all the rest of the on the ship. We pray for you and we want you to pray for us.
I believe our explanation denied it. Every church would practice that they would be growing by leaps and bounds. That would be a sense of harmony and unity and oneness and a trust in the fellowship of the leadership of the church deacons seen as godly men helping to carry on the work of the fellowship pastor seen as godly men in the role of pastors and that fellowship I believe is long as people can see it God's way.
Not my way. But God's way. Follow that principle, then growth is a natural part of the life and ministry of the church. Let's pray together.
Father, I thank you tonight for this passage of Scripture. I thank you for Peter placing it there by the Holy Spirit's leadership and guidance and we ask you tonight in Jesus name. Give us a godly wisdom father is my prayer, humility of spirit, patience, and meekness totally committed to your will so that whatever you choose to do, you will have the freedom and the liberty to do it through our hearts. Whatever you choose to do in this invitation. We thank you for but God Dupree tonight in Jesus name those whom you have call. I pray that you give them the courage to step out the courage to move not to be afraid, but to be fearless and bold to serve you wherever you call knowing that you take the care the consequences of their obedience to you is my prayer in Jesus name, amen. Thank you for listening to the scriptural view of the under shepherd if you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or intense ministries that my aunt had started writing this contact is a presentation of intense ministries advantage