Peter's Principles for Shepherds, Part 2

If you're in leadership, it's because God puts you there. If you're a father or a husband, it's because God puts you there. If you're in a classroom setting, if you're in a discipleship setting, if you're in an oversight setting, it's because God puts you there. Our perspective determines our attitude. God put me here to help you. I need to be a little bit enthusiastic about that because of my call. Number two, be enthusiastic, number one, because of your calling.

Number two, be eager because of your commitment. Be eager because of your commitment. Paul says, excuse me, Peter says, and not for sort of gain, but with Eagerness. Eagerness. Not for dishonest gain, but eagerly. Not only do you need to be enthusiastic because of your calling, but you need to be eager. Because of your commitment. See, you're committed because of your calling. When Peter was asked by Christ, Do you love me? He said, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said, Feed my sheep. If you love me, be committed to me.

Do what I say. And there's an eagerness about Peter's life and his ministry after he was restored that you see in the book of Acts that made him eager to serve and obey his God because he was commitment. Committed now why was he committed because he was called and because he was called he was enthusiastic to serve his God Not for sordid gain not for personal profit not for financial profit Sometimes we ask, what's in it for me? What do I get out of it? Well, you get a. Eternal glory, the crown of righteousness.

You get to go home and be with the Lord. No, no, no, what do I get now? You get nothing. Well, if I don't get anything now, then why would I want to do it? Then you shouldn't be overseeing anybody. Because you've got a bad attitude. And people pick up on that attitude. And so you need to be eager because of your commitment. Remember back in Exodus chapter 18, when Jethro, we'll talk about this in our study of Exodus, but in Exodus chapter 18, when Jethro told Moses what kind of men to choose, he said this.

Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain, and these you place over the people. Men who hate dishonest gain. Let me tell you something.

While that has the connotations of financial interest, it also has the implications of anything that comes out for my own benefit. That's going to make me look better, that's going to give me more clout, that's going to make others appreciate me more. That's dishonest gain. That's not truth. Be eager because of your commitment. Spiritual leadership is never a platform for profit, it's a platform for a profit. Spiritual leadership is never a platform for profit, P-R-T, but it's always a platform for the profit, P-R-O-.

You with me? I kind of feel like you kind of missed that there. I thought that was pretty good, man. I wrote that down. I mean, that's good. And you guys are out there like, oh, gee, what are you saying? I don't get it. Oh, gee, whiz. I thought I could at least get a holy grunt out of that, you know? But eagerly, it's a strong word. It expresses devotion. Devotion. We're eager to help others. We're eager because we love those people. Number three.

Number one, be enthusiastic because of your calling. Number two, be eager because of your commitment.

Number three, be an exam because of the consequences. Be an example because the consequences. Verse three. He says Nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be exam to the flock. Don 't drive them. Lead them. If you're a control freak, you're a driver. If you let God control, then you can lead. But you need to lead by exam. Need to be a model of what the fl to become. That's important. That which is propagated by the lips must be patterned by the life. So important.

Hebrews 13, verse number 7 says this. Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you. And considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Be an example. Don't lord it over those. Don't exercise authority in such a way that you extend. Dominion over them to think of them as unto you and you as their boss. I'm the boss. You got to do what I say. I'm in charge. Many a husband does that with his wife. Many a pastor does that with his church. It's wrong. Many a leader of a Bible study does that with those he leads.

I'm in charge. Do it my way. You know, it's important for us to ask ourselves some questions. You can always tell about someone's life. By looking at three aspects. One, is their calendar, two, is their checkbook, and three, their criticism. Those three elements will tell you about that person, how they handle their calendar, how they handle their checkbook, and how they handle criticism. That makes or breaks a leader. How does that individual handle his money? How does that person handle his time?

And how does that person handle those who speak against him? That makes or breaks the leader. If you can't handle criticism, you're in trouble. Can't make it. You'll be looking to please everybody. And in trying to please everybody, you'll please nobody. If you can't handle money, you'll mism all kinds of things. And if you can't handle your clock and your calendar, you mism time, you're disorganized. Those three elements. Ask yourself that question. Look at your checkbook.

Look at your calendar. And look at the criticism you've received because of your leadership. And how do you handle all those three things? That helps you understand how well you can lead in the flock of God. Because you see, you need to lead by example, right? Lead by example. And the best way to lead by example is that when everybody's criticizing you, and everybody's ragging on you, and everybody's condemning you, just let it go. It's all right. Not a big deal. Not a big deal. Let them say what they're going to say.

And when it comes time to look at your day and what you do with your time, are you a loaf? Are you a sluggard? Are you disciplined with your time? Do you get things done? Do you like things to sit around and get dirty and dirtier? Do they become the dirtiest? Or do you clean them, get them things done? See, all those things are important. I like what one man said. He said, a good father does not raise the question, who is the master of the house? Nevertheless, his authority is effective because of his commitment to care for his family.

It is a worthy example of devotion. Charles Spurgeon was correct when he preached. I am persuaded that the greatest power we can get over our fellow man is the power which comes of consecration and holiness. Leaders who are dearly loved for their virtuous, caring, sacrificial lifestyle will be followed. Such leaders are influential. They gain a following not because of clever methodologies, but because of evident spir authenticity in the stresses and strains of daily life. They do not merely preach, they practice, and the practice gives credence to their message.

Power to their leadership. That's true. Need to be an example. That's why Paul said in Philippians 4:9: The things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, you practice. These things, and the God of peace will be with you. Paul said in 2 Timothy 2, verse number 2: The things that you have received from me. And heard from me and trust to faithful men who then in turn can teach others also. Let me read to you what Jesus said.

Because this is so convicting. Of course, everything Jesus said was convicting, but this is particularly convicting concerning the topic we're talking about. He's praying. He's praying and his men are listening. It's always hard when you pray and your wife's listening to what you're saying. Sometimes you've got to be careful about what you say. But Jesus is praying. His men are listening. This is what he says. I manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word.

Jesus is praying with his men. He says, Lord, I have manifested thy name to these men. And what was the byproduct? They've kept your word. When you go home tonight, can you sit down with your wife and hold her hand and say, Lord Jesus, thank you for the opportunity to be able to manifest your name to my family. All day today, all week, all month. When you sit down with your children, you hold their hand and say, You know what? I am so glad, Lord, that I could manifest your name, your character, your attributes.

In front of my children today. Can you say that? He goes on to say. They've kept your word. Why do they keep the word of the Lord? Because they saw the word of the Lord lived out in front of them. Right? Example is such a powerful tool. If people have a hard time accepting what you say, if people are resisting your leadership, you need to go back and ask yourself, am I manifesting the name of Christ on a consistent bas? Basis. That's the number one element in parenting, in leadership.

Your children will follow your example. They catch on to what you do. More is caught than ever taught in the family, in the church, right? And so our example then becomes the most powerful element of our life. That's why we need to pray for pure and holy lives, a consecrated life. It's like Robert Murray McShan, that great Scottish preacher who turned Who turned Scotland upside down for the gospel said that a holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God. An unholy minister is no good. But a holy minister, a holy father, is an awful weapon in the hand of God.

A holy pastor, a holy Bible study leader, a holy discipleship leader, a holy shepherd God can use in great and mighty ways, right? So important. So, number one, be enthusiastic because of your calling.

Number two, be eager because of your commitment. Number three, be an exam because of the consequences.

Number four, be expectant. Be ex because of your crown. Paul says, excuse me, Peter says, got Paul on the brain tonight. Peter says, verse 4, these words in chapter 5 of 1 Peter. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of gl. The chief shepherd's coming back to inspect the flock. If you've been an example, if you've been eager, enthusiastic, led God's way, fed His people, provided the kind of example that models Christ-likeness. When the Chief Shepherd returns, the reward is the crown of glory.

Hebrews 13, 17 says this: Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls. That's a very interesting phrase. They keep watch over your souls. To keep watch means to search for sleep. Search for sleep. It means it's a picture of someone who stays awake at night. So burdened and concerned for others that it keeps them up. The writer of Hebrews says, obey those who are your leaders and submit to them. You know why? Because they stay up at night concerned about your soul. They can't sleep because of what's going on in your life.

Listen very carefully. For they one day will give an account. One day. One day I know that I will give an account for every person in this room. One day I will give an account for The hundreds, literally scores of hundreds of people that have come to this door over the last 10 years. I'll give an account for what I said, how I said it, how I led, how I preached. I know that. I know that. Now listen to this. Let them do this, that is, those shepherds do this, those leaders do this with joy. And not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for the flock.

Do you know the greatest way the flock gets no profit? It's when they cause grief to those who lead. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, because this will be unprofitable for you, the writer says. You miss out on the blessing. You missed out on the joy. You missed out on the great opportunity before you. You miss it. You miss it. And Peter says, if you lead God's way The writer of Hebrew says, if these people who lead you stay up at night, concerned about you enough because they're going to give an account for your soul.

Then there is a crown of glory that awaits those who lead God's way. Stephanos, the unfading cr of glory. Interesting, Revelation chapter 4 says we cast our crowns at the feet of the Lamb. So you don't keep them very long. You just throw them down again because you came to worship the Lamb of God. Be expect. Why? Because there is a crown that comes. You know, many people are going to be rewarded for the leadership that we would never reward. Did you know that? There will be many people who stay up at night and pray for the souls of the people that they lead that we didn't even know about.

We don't even know about. But God knows. And one day they're going to receive the biggest, brightest crown in heaven. Because they did it God's way. I wonder if that would be you. The last point I want to give you is found in the Old Testament, Ezekiel chapter 34, and that is be enlightened. Be enlightened. Because of the curse. I hate to end on a negative note, but what can I say? Be enlightened because of the curse. God is concerned how you lead. Whether it be the church, your family, a Sunday school class, a discipleship group, a Bible study, God is concerned.

So concerned that in the book of Malachi, it says this in chapter 2, verse number 1. And now this commandment is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to my name. says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings, and indeed I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart. Behold, I am going to rebuke your offspring, and I will spread refuse. On your faces the refuse of your feast, and you will be taken away with it.

God's serious about the way His priests, His leaders, lead, isn't He? He says, take it to heart. Honor me. Honor me. To honor God, you give glory to his name. To give glory to his name, you obey him. You listen to him. Listen to him. You follow what he says. The priests weren't willing to do that. And God judged them. Listen to Ezekiel chapter 34. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, thus says the Lord God, Woe or curse the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves.

Who've been feeding themselves? Should not the shepherds feed the flock? Listen, whenever you're more concerned about yourself than you are the flock of God, you've got a major problem. Whenever you're more concerned about you than you are your family, you've got a major problem. Whenever you're more concerned about you and the people you teach, you've got a problem. Why? Because you're self-centered. You're focused on you. And God says, oh, woe to you.

Woe, and woe is just another word to say, cursed are those who do this. Cursed is a self-centered man. Who feeds only himself, who only looks to himself, and not to feed those in whom he's called to lead. You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool. You slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. You do everything for yourself. Those who are sickly, you have not strengthened. The diseased, you have not healed, and you have not bound up, the scattered, you have not brought back, nor have you sought.

For the lost, but with force and with severity, you have dominated them. And they were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered. My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill, and my flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them. He says, This is my flock. This is my flock. And they were scattered all over the place because you were so into yourself. You were so concerned about you.

You were concerned about your needs. You were concerned about your wants. You were concerned about what you would wear. You were concerned about what you would eat You were concerned about how you felt, but you weren't concerned about my flock. And listen to what the Lord says. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord as I live, declares the Lord God, sure, because my flock has become a prey. My flock has even become Food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and my shepherds did not search for my flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed my flock.

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I shall still. Demand my sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep, so the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore. But I shall deliver my flock from their mouth, and they may not be food for them. What does God say? He says very simply this. He says, Hear the word of the Lord. I am against you. I'm against you. I'm not for you. I'm against you. You, I don want God against me.

I want God for me. If God be for you, who can be against you? But if God's against you, guess what? You're in big trouble, right? Now listen to this, verse 11. For this says the Lord God, Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for my sheep, and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and bring them to their own land.

And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down in good grazing ground, and they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will lead them to rest, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick. That's what God will do.

He's the chief shepherd. You see, when the Lord came, he said, What? I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep. And our God, our great and wonderful Lord Savior, is the greatest of all shepherds. And I read that and I think, you know, no matter what happens, God always takes care of his people because that's how he operates. And yet, we need to be enlightened, don't we? As to what the Word of the Lord says about the seriousness of leading others. You might say, Well, you know, this doesn't apply to me.

I'm no leader. Yes, you are. Don't say that. If somebody's following you, guess what? You're a leader. A little Cade. Not very old, just turned seven. His youngest brother, A, is going to turn four on Saturday. Cade 's leader. Because there's somebody following them. Little AJ. And God's got a word for Gabe. He's got a word for you. He's got a word for me. And that is, if God says, if you're going to leave anyway, what's the Bible say in Matthew 18?

Woe to you. It'd be better that a millstone were hung around your neck. And you are cast into the depths of the sea than to offend one of my little ones. He says it would be better for you to die a horrible death. Than to offend one of God's little children. Those are pretty strong words, aren't they? But God's serious. He's serious about how we lead. And may we lead all of us in a way that honors and glorifies our God.