"Leading By Example"

As Peter starts to draw his letter to a close, he focuses his attention on the responsibilities of the leaders of the Church. That being said… if you are here today and are not considered a “leader of the Church” such as a Deacon, Elder, or Sunday School teacher… please don’t think you are off the hook. As much as you may want to, you cannot just sit back, relax and sleep for the next 35 minutes....

Our passage today specifically speaks to Pastors and Elders, but we should all pay attention because, as you will see in v.3 of our passage… we as leaders are “...to be examples to the flock.” If this passage applies to Pastors and Elders that are supposed to be examples for others to follow… then it applies to you as well.

Also, this passage doesn’t only apply to Pastors and Elders, but it applies to anybody who aspires to be in church leadership or spiritual leadership… and that being said… all of us have some kind of a flock to which we are the shepherd. Your flock may be your family…your Sunday school class…friends in school…colleagues…employees…even your neighbors.

The Great Commission was not just given to Pastors and Elders… it was given to all believers and we are to use the spiritual gifts, that God has given to us, in order to reach others with His Gospel and to lead others on the paths of righteousness… We all have some sort of leadership responsibilities…

Responsibilities of Christian Leaders:

Now that we have established that we are all to be paying attention… lets get into God’s Word…

Read 1 Peter 5:1-4...

Meat:

The first responsibility of Christian Leaders is to..

1. Shepherd the Flock

1 Peter 5:2 “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you...”

Yes, we know from v.1 that the context of these verses are written specifically to Pastors and Elders of the early Church that was suffering severe persecution… and you can find the qualifications of those positions in 1 Timothy and Titus.

However, we can extend the application of what Peter is teaching to everyone that has a relationship with Christ, because we are all commissioned to go and make disciples. Again… Your flock may be your family…your Sunday school class…friends in school…colleagues…employees…even your neighbors.

Shepherds were very common during the time that this was written and the original readers of this letter would understand very well what Peter was saying.

First of all…

1.1 Shepherds Guard Their Flock

Often shepherds had to guard their flock through the dark hours of the night from the attack of wild beasts, or the unfortunate attempts of the sneaky thief… We are to do the same…

Paul's words, to the Ephesian Elders, recorded in…

Acts 20:28-31 “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.”

As your Shepherd, part of my responsibility is to guard the flock that God has entrusted to me… That’s Y’all!

That may be from physical dangers… If someone came in this building seeking to do harm, I am not just going to cower down and hide behind this pulpit… I will do whatever I can to make sure that my flock is safe… I am sure that most of you would do the same if there was someone threatening your family.

We guard against spiritual dangers… I am selective as to who fills in for me while I am gone. I make sure to find a trusted fill in that will preach God’s Word in a way that lines up with our Doctrinal beliefs…

Another way that we guard against spiritual dangers is by making you aware of some of the incorrect teachings that are being spread, that way you know what to look out for. There are many “teachers” today that twist Scripture and make it sound so good or so true, yet it is full of deceptive lies and it is the responsibility of us as spiritual leaders to make sure that you are aware of the dangerous doctrines that pollute our culture… Just as Paul said “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”

1.2 Shepherds Care For Their Flock

If a sheep was injured, either from an attack or from trying to traverse rugged terrain, a Shepherd would tend to its wounds and nurse it back to health…

As spiritual leaders, we are to do the same…

James 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

This is not a blanket formula for healing the sick. As always, we will pray for God’s will to be done and there are times, as we pray for healing, that God gives the individual the ultimate healing of calling them home to heaven.

But we care for the flock… this may be in the form of prayer, a meal, a ride to the grocery store… whatever the current need is, if we are able to help we will.

And of course…

1.3 Shepherds Feed Their Flock

Early in the morning, shepherds would lead thier flock from the fold, to the spot where they were to be pastured. In those lands sheep require to be supplied regularly with water, and the shepherd for this purpose has to guide them either to some running stream or to wells dug in the wilderness and furnished with troughs.

Peter knows first hand the importance of providing spiritual food for his flock.

John 21:15-17 “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.”

Jesus gave three admonitions to Peter: “Feed My lambs,” “Tend (or Shepherd) My sheep,” and “Feed My sheep.” Both the lambs and the more mature sheep need feeding and leading, and that is the task of the spiritual shepherd.

Warren Wiersbe says “While it is true that the Holy Spirit equips people to serve as shepherds, and gives these people to churches, it is also true that each individual Christian must help to care for the flock. Each of us has a gift or gifts from the Lord, and we should use what He has given us to help protect and perfect the flock. Sheep are prone to wander, and we must look after each other and encourage each other. ”

I took a trip last week and I enjoyed my week of feeding on God’s Word as we went through an exhaustive study of the Book of Daniel… But I don’t plan to keep that to myself. We will probably go through the Book of Daniel in the near future so that you can benefit from my trip as well.

Peter says to “Shepherd the Flock”…

The second responsibility of Christian Leaders is to…

2. Possess A Proper Attitude

1 Peter 5:2-3 “2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you… ”

Peter says that we are to “serve as overseers”… Shepherds exercise over-sight. Christ is the Chief Shepherd and as your Pastor, I serve His under Shepherd… He has entrusted me as an overseer of this portion of His flock and He will hold me accountable for how I handle this position.

I have to approach it with the proper attitude and the same goes for everyone… Whatever gift God has given you to use in ministry, you have to use it with the proper attitude…

First of all… We need to…

2.1 Be Willing

“...not by compulsion but willingly...”

God wants leaders. What He doesn’t want is leaders who serve with unworthy motivation. No service for God is acceptable if there is not a willing heart. Doing one’s duty because he “has to” is not the right attitude.

When we were serving in White Cloud and Pastor Ziebarth was going to be gone, I would tell Melissa that “I have to preach on Sunday” … and she would lovingly correct my statement and say “No, you get to preach on Sunday”.

We need to serve willingly… not under compulsion but voluntarily, deliberately, and intentionally… God doesn’t want to hear excuses as to why we cannot serve… He has given us the gifts and the abilities to serve in different ways and He expects us to use them.

Look at Exodus 3… In Exodus chapter 3 we find Moses’ commissioning service. God is speaking to Moses through the burning bush (actually, the not so burning bush) and He is telling Moses that he has been chosen to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Read vv. 10-11

Moses already has the attitude that he is inadequate for the job and the excuses just snow ball from there…

Read 4:1…

“They are not going to believe me”…

So then God has Moses throw his staff on the ground, it turns to a snake, and God tells Moses to pick it up by its tail and it became a staff again…

God has Moses put his hand in his pocket and when he pulls it out it is full of leprosy… he puts his hand back into his pocket and pulls it out and it is full healed...

These would be signs that Moses was sent from God…

If they still didn’t believe him, God said Moses could take some water from the river and pour it out on dry land and it the water would turn into blood…

Read vv. 10-13…

Moses calls Him “Lord” and yet refuses to obey His orders. Most of us understand that attitude because we’ve made the same mistake.

A willing attitude focuses on God’s will and God’s glory… and does not get hung up on our own inadequacies, successes, or failures.

We need to have the attitude of the Prophet Isaiah…

Isaiah 6:8 NASB95

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Getting back to 1 Peter… Along with that willingness… we need to…

2.2 Be Properly Motivated

“… not for dishonest gain but eagerly… ”

The Shepherd’s motivation is not the material gain but the opportunity for service… Now, before you get any wise ideas about saving the church a little bit of money and not paying the Pastor…

Paul says in…

1 Timothy 5:17–18 NASB95

17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

I wouldn’t be able to serve at the capacity that I am now, if I had to spend 40+ hours a week at a secular job. My family would suffer, my church family would suffer and I would get burned out very quickly…

But, the paycheck is not the proper motivation to go into full time ministry. No one should ever be in ministry for “dishonest gain.”… Unfortunately, there are many that are…

But “...what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?…”

The word “eager” means to have a strong and urgent desire, to be filled with zeal to serve… Our motivation should be the ministry itself and not the money…

We also need to…

2.3 Be Loving, Not Lording

“nor as being lords over those entrusted to you… ”…

Leaders shouldn’t function “as lords over” God’s sheep. Shepherds are not to behave as a dictator over the church, demanding their wishes and desires be fulfilled.

I too am a sheep in need of a Shepherd… Just like Paul said in…

2 Cor. 1:24 “24 Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy… ”

Peter has the same idea when he says “nor as being lords over those entrusted to you…”

The word “entrusted” means “allotted portion.” God assigns leaders or Shepherds to certain sheep… Here at Pierson Bible Church, I serve as the Pastor.

- Dave serves as a fellow elder, he is able to preach in my absence if necessary and he also teaches adult Sunday School.

The guys that serve on the Deacon Board

Denise serves as our Children’s Ministry Administrator

Leaders and Teachers for venture clubs, Childrens Sunday School, VBS…

We all have been entrusted with a different portion of the ministries that make up Pierson Bible Church. In order for them all to succeed, we need to approach our portions of ministry with the proper attitude.

Lastly this morning… our final responsibility is the title of the sermon…

We need to…

3. Lead By Example

1 Peter 5:2-4 “2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”

In the secular world, we demand people to work using authority and sometimes other motivational factors such as promotion and benefits. But in the ministry, we lead and serve by example.

A shepherd should never have the motto of… “Do as I say, not as I do”. If we are not willing to do the work then we cannot expect others to do it either. Our examples show that we value what we believe and what we do… and when people see us living out what we say we believe, hopefully they see the importance of it as well.

A wise shepherd knows that sheep can be easily led while the shepherd is out front, but it is quite difficult to drive them from behind…

Like wise, the spiritual shepherd is not be one who seeks to drive the sheep in the direction he desires, but rather, we are to compassionately lead the sheep by being godly examples for them to follow.... Whether it be in the home, the workplace, the community or the church…

“ and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”

The paycheck for serving Christ may not seem like much… but the retirement package is out of this world!

Closing:

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 that we all have responsibilities

- to shepherd what ever flock God has given us… whether it be your family…your Sunday school class…friends in school…colleagues…employees…even your neighbors.

We need to have the proper attitude

and we need to lead by example…

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!

I pray that Pierson Bible Church will be known as one that leads by example.

Prayer:

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