WEBVTT 00:00:04.931 --> 00:00:06.394 All right, good morning. 00:00:06.394 --> 00:00:13.070 My name is Tyler and I'm the lead pastor here at Trinity and I have the privilege of bringing the word of God to you this morning. 00:00:13.070 --> 00:00:26.440 So if you wanna, turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter 5 and we'll be reading from there in just a minute and this is our last sermon from the series that we've been doing from 1 Peter called Grace Under Fire, hasn't it been great. 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:36.734 It's been all about how to live our lives as true believers in Jesus Christ, even when we're going through difficult times or times of unjust suffering. 00:00:36.734 --> 00:00:41.506 And we know that those times are here and they're going to continue to increase. 00:00:41.506 --> 00:00:57.320 And we as an elder team really felt like strongly that it was important for us to look through this book and to learn from it, to glean from it what it means to stand strong for Jesus Christ even during times of adversity, especially during times of adversity. 00:00:57.320 --> 00:01:08.706 And today we're going to look at the importance of godly leadership within the church and how that should function and how the church itself should relate to those who are in leadership. 00:01:08.706 --> 00:01:12.534 So the message is entitled Shepherd, the Flock of God. 00:01:13.100 --> 00:01:16.691 Let's read together 1 Peter 5, verses 1 through 11. 00:01:16.691 --> 00:01:28.007 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed. 00:01:28.007 --> 00:01:45.679 Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 00:01:45.679 --> 00:01:51.933 And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 00:01:51.933 --> 00:01:59.611 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. 00:01:59.611 --> 00:02:09.625 Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. 00:02:09.625 --> 00:02:21.882 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that, at the proper time, he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. 00:02:21.882 --> 00:02:25.312 Be sober-minded, be watchful. 00:02:25.312 --> 00:02:31.626 Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. 00:02:31.626 --> 00:02:40.756 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 00:02:40.756 --> 00:02:54.840 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 00:02:54.840 --> 00:02:58.945 To him be the dominion forever and ever. 00:02:58.945 --> 00:03:00.427 Amen. 00:03:00.427 --> 00:03:02.150 Father. 00:03:02.150 --> 00:03:08.867 We pray that these words this morning will not be filled with just man's wisdom or my own thoughts or ideas. 00:03:08.867 --> 00:03:24.866 I pray, lord, that you would take your word of God off the pages of this book, this wonderful book that you've given us, and that you would breathe life into them and that you would cause them to enter each person's mind and in their soul and, most of all, into their spirit. 00:03:24.866 --> 00:03:31.270 Father, I pray that you would cause transformation to come as a result of the words that are going to be spoken. 00:03:31.270 --> 00:03:39.174 And, lord, we give you all of the glory and the honor and the power and the praise in Jesus' name, amen, amen. 00:03:40.360 --> 00:03:49.849 One of the distinctives of Trinity Community Church is that we have a plurality of eldership, and some of you may ask what does that mean to have a plurality of eldership? 00:03:49.849 --> 00:03:54.566 In simple terms, it means we have multiple pastors, we have more than one pastor. 00:03:54.566 --> 00:04:01.046 We have six pastors or elders who serve within this team, and that's what we believe. 00:04:01.046 --> 00:04:06.222 And that's what we believe. 00:04:06.222 --> 00:04:10.576 This passage in 1 Peter is one of the hallmark passages in Scripture that teach us or that promote this model for us right. 00:04:10.576 --> 00:04:13.889 And what does the plurality of elders mean to the church? 00:04:13.889 --> 00:04:15.426 Let me give you just a few examples. 00:04:15.426 --> 00:04:27.449 The first thing is this multiple accountability, mutual accountability, the fact that all of us together serve together and we also are watching out for each other. 00:04:27.449 --> 00:04:48.108 So if I become tempted in a particular area, the other guys within the team step up to the plate and begin to address that with me, begin to help me to see my need to change or begin to help me to walk through a process of restoration or healing, and that can happen with any one of us at any given point in time of restoration or healing, and that can happen with any one of us at any given point in time. 00:04:48.108 --> 00:04:50.115 We are mutually accountable to our wives and to each other. 00:04:50.115 --> 00:04:53.343 How many of you know that's important in the day and time we're living in. 00:04:53.783 --> 00:05:02.776 Many churches have fallen simply because there was no accountability in place for those who were in leadership within the team. 00:05:02.776 --> 00:05:08.531 We have an extra layer of accountability where we have two overseers who help watch over the church as well. 00:05:08.531 --> 00:05:12.004 That's Neil Silverberg and Clem Ferris, who was just here for Jubilee. 00:05:12.004 --> 00:05:22.665 And so not only are we accountable amongst ourselves and with our wives and also with you, but also we're accountable to the overseers that are watching over this church as well. 00:05:22.665 --> 00:05:30.427 We also believe that the role of lead pastor or elder is essential within the context of plural eldership. 00:05:30.427 --> 00:05:37.310 So it's not co-equal eldership in the sense that there's no leadership, there's no singular leadership within the team. 00:05:37.331 --> 00:05:55.071 There is a lead elder or lead pastor, and I happen to be the one in that role currently and I am very thankful for that, and I am very thankful for that and I am tasked with bringing vision to the elders, overseeing and leading the team of elders and communicating vision and direction to the church on behalf of the elders. 00:05:55.071 --> 00:05:56.632 But guess what? 00:05:56.632 --> 00:06:01.036 The authority for our church does not end with me. 00:06:01.036 --> 00:06:11.468 I am a voice of authority within our church, but our authority belongs collectively to the entire group of elders, and that's a healthy thing. 00:06:11.468 --> 00:06:13.581 There is always more than one elder. 00:06:13.581 --> 00:06:16.187 Authority never resides with just one person. 00:06:16.266 --> 00:06:18.533 The lead elder is not to take all. 00:06:18.533 --> 00:06:19.923 I like this one. 00:06:19.923 --> 00:06:23.872 I don't take all the heat if somebody doesn't like the changes that come. 00:06:23.872 --> 00:06:28.420 I don't take all the heat if somebody doesn't like the changes that come. 00:06:28.420 --> 00:06:31.240 That's a blessing. 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:35.956 But I also don't get all the credit if things work well, right and that's the way that it should be, because we are a team, we're not looking to promote ourselves. 00:06:35.956 --> 00:06:46.762 And also I, as the lead pastor, am subject myself to the authority of the elder team, so even though I am the leader of the elder team, I'm also subject to it. 00:06:46.762 --> 00:06:47.584 Does that make sense? 00:06:47.584 --> 00:06:52.761 It's a really healthy thing and it takes honestly. 00:06:52.761 --> 00:06:59.242 I've never served with a group of men that are the leadership of this church in this current season. 00:06:59.242 --> 00:07:02.690 I've been around church life for most of my life. 00:07:02.690 --> 00:07:06.480 I was saved at five years old and I am 51, so you can do the math. 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:31.692 I've been in church a long time and I've never been a part of a team of people who are, like so motivated not for themselves or for you know some dream that they have to fulfill in their own personal lives, but they really are motivated by following Christ, first of all, and then being a good example and leading this church in the direction that God wants it to go, and for that, again, I am truly grateful. 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:38.112 No major decisions are made within this church without a unanimous vote of the eldership. 00:07:38.112 --> 00:07:43.428 Anything major that happens around here, we decide it together. 00:07:43.428 --> 00:07:44.812 We decide it together. 00:07:44.812 --> 00:07:47.281 Major that happens around here. 00:07:47.281 --> 00:07:47.783 We decide it together. 00:07:47.783 --> 00:07:49.206 We decide it together and it's important for us to do that. 00:07:49.206 --> 00:08:00.803 So let me just kind of wrap it up A plurality of elders is the best and safest model of church government and, more importantly, it's the only biblical pattern of church government that we see in the New Testament. 00:08:01.584 --> 00:08:34.307 Almost every example of the word elder used in the New Testament is plural elders, every letter written to the elders, and that's what we believe is God's way of maintaining a healthy church leadership, so that the people that are a part of the church can be a part of something that God has put together and that he's watching over and that they can trust, can be a part of something that God has put together and that he's watching over and that they can trust Not that they're trusting exclusively in the people who are serving on the team, but trusting the God who is in charge of the team. 00:08:34.307 --> 00:08:35.149 That make sense. 00:08:35.149 --> 00:08:37.033 Yeah, very good. 00:08:37.033 --> 00:08:41.630 Some of you have wondered why we do what we do and why we rotate the pulpit and all of that. 00:08:41.630 --> 00:08:48.251 And it's because it's really because of this principle right here that first Peter espouses in many other places in the New Testament. 00:08:48.251 --> 00:08:55.451 God has called us to be a New Testament church, and so that means we have a plurality of eldership, all right. 00:08:55.913 --> 00:09:00.470 So our passage begins with this thought of shepherding the flock of God. 00:09:00.470 --> 00:09:03.724 It says shepherd the flock of God that is among you. 00:09:03.724 --> 00:09:09.173 And it's interesting to me that Peter starts out by saying that he's a fellow elder of theirs. 00:09:09.173 --> 00:09:19.340 This is an apostle of Jesus Christ who walked and talked with Jesus, who saw all of the miracles and walked on water himself and performed miracles himself. 00:09:19.340 --> 00:09:36.311 And yet, as he's writing to the churches that he's writing to, he lowers himself, he humbles himself, in a way to say I am one of you, I am a fellow elder with you, and that's amazing to me, the humility that is observed there. 00:09:36.311 --> 00:09:40.648 He qualifies himself as one who has seen the suffering Jesus. 00:09:40.648 --> 00:09:44.464 He's been there with him, he's observed it, he's experienced it. 00:09:44.464 --> 00:09:45.408 But guess what? 00:09:45.408 --> 00:09:47.965 That's not the end of the story of Jesus Christ. 00:09:47.965 --> 00:09:56.390 How many of you know that he will return, and he will return gloriously, and he will return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 00:09:56.390 --> 00:10:05.917 And Peter is saying that I am looking forward, with all of you, to experiencing the glory that still will be revealed in Jesus Christ. 00:10:05.917 --> 00:10:12.991 That my friends should get us through a lot of hard days here on this earth, right that reality. 00:10:13.613 --> 00:10:14.922 So let's talk about church leaders. 00:10:14.922 --> 00:10:22.162 Church leaders must remember that the church and the members belong to who Belong to, god. 00:10:22.162 --> 00:10:30.861 You are not our partners, you are not our sheep, you are God's sheep right, and that's important. 00:10:30.861 --> 00:10:34.971 And also, we are a part of the church as well as leaders, and we are God's sheep. 00:10:34.971 --> 00:10:40.309 It is his church, don't forget that, and we are his people. 00:10:40.309 --> 00:10:59.091 He is the one, like Derek said so greatly just a few minutes ago, he is the one and the only one who paid the price for our redemption and he is the one that is worthy of all glory and honor and praise, and we have no right as human beings to infringe upon what is due to him. 00:10:59.312 --> 00:11:17.166 If that makes sense, if you think back to the first message that Mark shared in the series, he gave us a bio on Peter and one of the things that he kind of ended with was a poignant story of Peter as he's out fishing after Jesus has died and he goes back to what he knows. 00:11:17.166 --> 00:11:27.442 So he's out fishing, although it doesn't seem like he was a great fisherman, because every time Jesus shows up he tells him where to fish to catch the fish Jesus must have. 00:11:27.442 --> 00:11:29.448 You want Jesus in your boat. 00:11:29.448 --> 00:11:35.907 I've invited Jesus many times into my boat as I've been fishing, with various mixed results from that. 00:11:35.907 --> 00:11:41.567 Anyway, sometimes he was dealing with my heart and I didn't need to be focused on the fishing when I was in the boat. 00:11:41.567 --> 00:11:46.101 But anyway, peter's there and Jesus is on the shore and he's cooking breakfast. 00:11:46.101 --> 00:11:47.085 Where did he get the food? 00:11:47.085 --> 00:11:48.688 He's the son of God. 00:11:48.688 --> 00:11:53.509 He could have gotten it anywhere, right, but he's cooking breakfast and Peter recognizes him from the boat. 00:11:53.509 --> 00:11:54.152 And what does he do? 00:11:54.152 --> 00:11:59.857 He jumps in the water and he runs to him and Jesus and he have this moment. 00:11:59.918 --> 00:12:14.004 You'll remember, not that long ago, when Jesus was arrested in the garden and he was taken back and he was getting ready to be tried by the high priest and all of those who were a part of what would become the passion of Christ. 00:12:14.004 --> 00:12:21.041 Here he is and he's asked by the servant girl aren't you one of his disciples? 00:12:21.041 --> 00:12:21.903 Weren't you with him? 00:12:21.903 --> 00:12:32.065 And he swore three times I never knew him, and we know that Jesus had warned him that this was going to happen. 00:12:32.065 --> 00:12:33.950 And Peter, of course, said never, I will die for you. 00:12:33.950 --> 00:12:40.284 And what he meant was I'll go to the death fighting for you, and we see that in evidence in the garden when he pulls the sword out. 00:12:40.284 --> 00:12:48.543 When Jesus told him to put his sword away, something changed in Peter's heart and he denied Christ three times. 00:12:48.543 --> 00:12:56.326 But how many of you know that's not the end of Peter's story and how many of you are thankful, just like Derek was saying earlier condemnation. 00:12:56.967 --> 00:13:04.873 The accuser of the brethren, who is Satan, loves to throw condemnation our way, based on something we did in some time in our history. 00:13:04.873 --> 00:13:11.876 Condemnation our way based on something we did in some time in our history. 00:13:11.876 --> 00:13:12.099 Guess what? 00:13:12.099 --> 00:13:20.892 He's a liar, and we need to put our faith and hope and confidence and trust in the living God, who did what he did so that we could be free from the bondage of sin and death right. 00:13:21.513 --> 00:13:26.892 So here we have Jesus and Peter having this encounter and Jesus asks Peter three questions. 00:13:26.892 --> 00:13:31.288 Kind of interesting that he asked him three, almost like one for each of the denials. 00:13:31.288 --> 00:13:33.985 Right, and remember what he says. 00:13:33.985 --> 00:13:35.605 He asks him do you love me? 00:13:35.605 --> 00:13:55.065 Peter, in kind of a declining tone, answers him, trying to be as honest as he can be, but also basically saying only you know, I don't even know my own heart, but I don't want us to focus as much in on that aspect as I want us to focus in on Jesus's response. 00:13:55.065 --> 00:13:57.068 Remember what Jesus told him. 00:13:57.671 --> 00:14:01.043 The first thing he said was feed my lambs. 00:14:01.043 --> 00:14:10.144 The word there in the Greek speaks of little sheep, those that need help and nourishment, those who have to be fed. 00:14:10.144 --> 00:14:12.610 They're not able to feed themselves yet. 00:14:12.610 --> 00:14:13.692 Does that make sense? 00:14:13.692 --> 00:14:16.903 And so what does Jesus call to Peter? 00:14:16.903 --> 00:14:20.626 If you love me, feed my M-Y. 00:14:20.626 --> 00:14:23.451 Whose flock is it, m-y? 00:14:23.451 --> 00:14:24.812 Whose flock is it? 00:14:24.812 --> 00:14:25.312 It's his flock. 00:14:25.312 --> 00:14:36.404 But he's commissioning Peter to fulfill, continue, his purpose to be a shepherd underneath the shepherd of Christ. 00:14:36.404 --> 00:14:37.408 Right, and what is he supposed to do? 00:14:37.408 --> 00:14:39.494 He's supposed to nourish those who can't yet take care of themselves. 00:14:39.494 --> 00:14:41.923 And then the second thing he says do you love me? 00:14:41.923 --> 00:14:44.648 And then he says tend my sheep. 00:14:44.648 --> 00:14:46.530 What does it mean tend? 00:14:46.530 --> 00:14:55.303 And, by the way, in September, early September, mark's going to do an entire workshop on shepherding. 00:14:55.303 --> 00:15:03.024 He went to Poland and he traveled with sheep across miles and miles and he learned so much during that time, and so we look forward to. 00:15:03.024 --> 00:15:10.847 Really, I'm not going to be able to do that justice this morning with a few minutes that I have, but I want you to begin to look forward to that even now, because it's going to be really insightful. 00:15:10.847 --> 00:15:18.172 Right, there's a reason that God uses the different imagery that he uses in the scriptures, right? 00:15:18.172 --> 00:15:21.283 So, anyway, the second one tend my sheep. 00:15:21.363 --> 00:15:24.948 How many of you know that God wants his people taken care of? 00:15:24.948 --> 00:15:35.897 Tend my sheep, peter, if you love me, take care of the needs of the people spirit, soul and body. 00:15:35.897 --> 00:15:36.960 Right? 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:43.296 And then the last do you love me and remember what Jesus's last refrain was feed my sheep. 00:15:43.296 --> 00:15:49.775 This is talking about the grown ones, the adult ones, and this isn't talking about him sitting there in hand feeding them. 00:15:49.775 --> 00:15:59.322 And this is talking about him leading them into pastures where they can feed themselves, where they can eat themselves. 00:15:59.363 --> 00:16:06.111 And how many of you know, as Christians, if you've been in the Lord a long time and you're still needing one of us to hold a bottle for you? 00:16:06.111 --> 00:16:07.815 We need to talk. 00:16:07.815 --> 00:16:09.177 We need to talk. 00:16:09.177 --> 00:16:10.340 It's time. 00:16:10.340 --> 00:16:22.697 We all need to grow and progress in our relationship with the Lord, and part of our job as under shepherds of the flock of God is to make sure that we're helping take care of those things that make sense. 00:16:22.697 --> 00:16:32.793 Great, and I believe, again Peter's purposely using the shepherd motif because that's what Jesus used with him Peter the fisherman. 00:16:32.793 --> 00:16:35.701 But Jesus is talking to him about being a shepherd. 00:16:35.701 --> 00:16:37.654 He's changing his identity. 00:16:37.654 --> 00:16:40.854 He's changing his role right, his perspective. 00:16:40.854 --> 00:16:45.245 Another passage in Acts shares the same sentiment. 00:16:45.245 --> 00:16:46.610 In Acts 20, verse 28,. 00:16:46.610 --> 00:16:59.822 It says pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 00:16:59.822 --> 00:17:10.515 It's his church and we are under shepherds within that church, and the Holy Spirit is the one who's doing the work right and we're working alongside him. 00:17:11.136 --> 00:17:15.114 Next, church leaders must serve God's church for the right reasons. 00:17:15.114 --> 00:17:23.519 Have you ever been a part of a church where it became obvious that the church leadership was not serving the church and serving God for the right reasons? 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:31.795 I'm sorry that you experienced that, but that's a very real reality that unfortunately, many, many people have heard, even in the news this week. 00:17:31.795 --> 00:17:34.180 There are other high-profile pastors. 00:17:34.180 --> 00:17:44.845 That news has come out that there have been improprieties and things that have occurred that have caused them to step down from their role as lead pastors, and part of it. 00:17:44.845 --> 00:17:49.059 Again I have to and again I have no clue on the inner workings of all of that. 00:17:49.059 --> 00:18:08.558 That goes on, but I have to remain thankful and grateful that God has given us the wisdom through his word to make sure that we have accountability among us, to keep us from falling into the same pitfalls, because all of us are human beings and but for the grace of God, we could all end up in trouble, right? 00:18:10.364 --> 00:18:16.239 So pastors must shepherd the flock of God, which they are called to, with the right motivation, with the right heart. 00:18:16.239 --> 00:18:24.739 The flock belongs to God, but elders have been given the responsibility to serve underneath him, to be a part of his team. 00:18:24.739 --> 00:18:33.151 Elders are to be mature men of Christian character who are qualified by the Holy Spirit to provide spiritual leadership in the church. 00:18:33.151 --> 00:18:38.221 The Holy Spirit, jesus himself, gives these gifts to his body. 00:18:38.221 --> 00:18:41.513 Right, he gives these gifts. 00:18:41.513 --> 00:18:42.176 Ephesians 4. 00:18:42.176 --> 00:18:42.992 We know that. 00:18:42.992 --> 00:18:43.816 That's there. 00:18:43.816 --> 00:18:44.638 The listing is there. 00:18:45.250 --> 00:18:46.435 And what is the purpose of elders? 00:18:46.435 --> 00:18:56.359 Ultimately, like I said, they are to protect, they are to lead, they are to guide, they are to feed, they are to instruct, they are to encourage, to exhort, all of those things. 00:18:56.359 --> 00:19:01.122 But the motivation of elders should be divine, not human. 00:19:01.122 --> 00:19:06.122 Our motivation should come from God and not from our own soul, if that makes sense. 00:19:06.122 --> 00:19:09.859 So a church leader must be a willing leader first of all. 00:19:09.859 --> 00:19:14.009 If we're going to talk about how a church leader should serve, first of all they should be willing. 00:19:14.009 --> 00:19:19.711 It says exercising oversight not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you. 00:19:19.711 --> 00:19:26.683 Can you imagine if our elder team was determined by the Eeyore strategy? 00:19:26.683 --> 00:19:31.961 Mark loves when I use analogies like this, but I'm going to use it. 00:19:31.961 --> 00:19:38.195 So, eeyore, he's sitting around and nobody's stepping up to the plate to be an elder in the church. 00:19:38.195 --> 00:19:44.625 And so you hear him say well, if you can't get anybody else to do it, I guess I'll do it. 00:19:44.625 --> 00:19:51.259 How many of you would want to be a part of a church where that's the leadership team, right? 00:19:51.259 --> 00:19:52.823 No, no, no, no. 00:19:52.823 --> 00:19:54.269 We should have the right motivation. 00:19:54.269 --> 00:20:03.878 We should be excited about being a part of what God is doing, not under compulsion, not because we feel obligated to, not because we have to. 00:20:05.020 --> 00:20:08.095 And when I was growing up, I don't know how your dad was at his father's day. 00:20:08.095 --> 00:20:12.634 I don't know how your dad was, but my dad was big on obedience, right. 00:20:12.634 --> 00:20:19.400 I don't know what's happened in future generations since that time, but back then it was like whatever dad said was what happened. 00:20:19.400 --> 00:20:24.261 I remember one time that he found out that there was trouble in the neighborhood. 00:20:24.261 --> 00:20:29.539 All of us kids were fighting with each other, and so he gathered us all up and lined us up and spanked us all. 00:20:29.539 --> 00:20:34.819 Now let's try that in a neighborhood near you, right? 00:20:34.819 --> 00:20:41.342 But that was the way things were in 1970-whatever right Things. 00:20:41.342 --> 00:20:48.974 It was a different time, it was a different era, and whenever whichever parent in the neighborhood discovered the trouble, they dealt with it. 00:20:48.974 --> 00:20:49.335 Right. 00:20:49.335 --> 00:20:50.397 It was just. 00:20:50.397 --> 00:20:52.040 That was the known thing. 00:20:52.040 --> 00:20:53.632 But my dad was big on obedience. 00:20:53.632 --> 00:20:55.234 But he's bigger on something else. 00:20:55.234 --> 00:21:02.994 He was bigger on, like, the heart behind obedience, like he wanted you to want to be obedient. 00:21:04.739 --> 00:21:07.084 Anybody remember the attitude check exercise? 00:21:07.084 --> 00:21:10.134 For me it was a time clock. 00:21:10.134 --> 00:21:12.180 It started out with a minute. 00:21:12.180 --> 00:21:14.191 I'll give you a minute to change your attitude. 00:21:14.191 --> 00:21:19.731 I always wondered inside when I was going through this minute how is he going to know? 00:21:19.731 --> 00:21:30.179 But somehow he always knew, you know, and it went from a minute to 45 seconds to 30 seconds and before long it was 10 seconds and I was like breathe. 00:21:30.179 --> 00:21:36.135 But what I discovered is I could choose to change my attitude. 00:21:36.135 --> 00:21:45.718 I could do that and to make sure that my motivation was right and church leadership we're supposed to exemplify that sort of thing. 00:21:45.718 --> 00:21:51.577 We need to choose to maintain a proper attitude as much as possible. 00:21:51.577 --> 00:21:56.795 Right To be obedient, because God has called us to be obedient and because we want to be obedient. 00:21:57.455 --> 00:22:12.221 Next, a church leader must not be in it just for the money, says, not for shameful gain, but eagerly right Must be eager or enthusiastic, but not motivated by the salary offered by the church that they're a part of. 00:22:12.221 --> 00:22:16.119 Financial reward must not be the motive for being an elder. 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:21.531 An elder is to find satisfaction in the job itself, in the job itself. 00:22:21.531 --> 00:22:26.480 Doing the work of ministry should be a reward in itself. 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:34.301 Greed is an abomination to God and those who serve in his church should never be motivated by it. 00:22:34.301 --> 00:22:45.069 Amen, it Amen. 00:22:45.069 --> 00:22:45.371 This is true. 00:22:45.392 --> 00:22:46.032 Now let me give you a caveat. 00:22:46.032 --> 00:22:54.220 That does not mean that church leaders should not receive any kind of financial compensation from the church that they serve in, because so many times people, they want to put the eggs in one basket. 00:22:54.220 --> 00:22:55.242 We can't have it. 00:22:55.242 --> 00:23:03.621 You know both, and have you noticed that a lot of scripture is not either, or it's both, and Both principles are true. 00:23:03.621 --> 00:23:09.756 It is true that we should not serve because we're greedy or covetous or we want to drive a. 00:23:09.756 --> 00:23:11.599 I said drive a Lincoln. 00:23:11.599 --> 00:23:13.824 Does Lincoln even make a vehicle anymore? 00:23:13.824 --> 00:23:14.250 I don't know. 00:23:14.250 --> 00:23:18.119 But back in the day driving a Lincoln was a sign of success. 00:23:18.119 --> 00:23:23.298 And somebody gave my parents a Lincoln Continental and it was amazing. 00:23:23.298 --> 00:23:26.730 It wasn't to me but it was to them right. 00:23:26.730 --> 00:23:30.465 But then we had to explain every time somebody saw it. 00:23:30.465 --> 00:23:34.214 We didn't pay for this, somebody gave it to us because of that whole thing. 00:23:34.214 --> 00:23:38.983 But 1 Corinthians 9, verse 13 and 14 give us further instruction on this. 00:23:38.983 --> 00:23:41.875 How do we interpret scripture with other scripture? 00:23:41.875 --> 00:23:51.598 Right, it says do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 00:23:51.598 --> 00:23:58.721 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. 00:23:58.721 --> 00:24:11.077 So there is nothing that precludes those who are in ministry receiving compensation for the ministry that they give, but that shouldn't be their motivation. 00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:18.842 I served the majority of my ministry time with two or three jobs, working two or three jobs, and you know what? 00:24:18.842 --> 00:24:20.551 It never bothered me. 00:24:20.551 --> 00:24:24.141 I enjoyed it so much and was I tempted to quit. 00:24:24.141 --> 00:24:26.894 At times, of course you're tempted to quit. 00:24:26.894 --> 00:24:32.615 Never say anything hard to a pastor on Monday because they're already on the edge. 00:24:32.615 --> 00:24:33.396 I'm just telling you. 00:24:33.396 --> 00:24:40.597 This is an insider, look right, it's like because all of this stuff's going on about Sunday and how things went or didn't go, or whatever happened. 00:24:40.597 --> 00:24:45.554 I could have said that differently, or we're humans too right, we deal with that stuff. 00:24:45.554 --> 00:24:55.578 But anyway, I have gratefully served the church, no matter what condition I found myself in or my family found ourselves in. 00:24:55.618 --> 00:24:58.152 From a financial standpoint, we are blessed at this point. 00:24:58.152 --> 00:25:03.083 We're so thankful to be really fully engaged in working here at the church. 00:25:03.083 --> 00:25:09.219 But we are not, and you can look at the books if you want to look at them. 00:25:09.219 --> 00:25:15.894 We are compensated graciously and we're thankful for that, but we are not getting rich off of this ministry. 00:25:15.894 --> 00:25:16.717 I promise you that. 00:25:16.717 --> 00:25:18.721 Not getting rich off of this ministry, I promise you that. 00:25:18.721 --> 00:25:28.866 So what Neil says something about, you're saying about God God will keep you humble or we'll keep you poor. 00:25:28.866 --> 00:25:33.132 Yeah, god will keep you humble and we'll keep you poor. 00:25:33.132 --> 00:25:35.993 Right, that was the church that he was a part of one time in leadership. 00:25:35.993 --> 00:25:40.137 You know they kind of that was their emphasis and they followed through, didn't they? 00:25:40.199 --> 00:25:41.559 So what is the final thought on this? 00:25:41.559 --> 00:25:48.145 Not money, but enthusiasm and zeal for God and his work must motivate elders. 00:25:48.145 --> 00:25:52.194 That must be our motivation. 00:25:52.194 --> 00:25:54.621 A church leader must be a Christ-like example. 00:25:54.621 --> 00:25:56.392 Christ-like example. 00:25:56.392 --> 00:25:59.212 Anybody want to sign up for church leadership Because it's just getting better? 00:25:59.212 --> 00:26:05.214 Right, it says not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 00:26:05.214 --> 00:26:08.742 Elders should be examples, not dictators. 00:26:08.742 --> 00:26:17.923 Come on, they should be walking out in front of the flock, not driving them from behind. 00:26:17.923 --> 00:26:19.872 They should be walking out in front of the flock, not driving them from behind. 00:26:19.872 --> 00:26:27.240 A driven leader who drives those who are under his care is not taking the shepherding motif very seriously. 00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:32.346 They're driving cattle instead of herding sheep. 00:26:32.346 --> 00:26:36.089 Vastly different. 00:26:36.089 --> 00:26:37.472 You must avoid being domineering. 00:26:37.472 --> 00:26:43.259 The goal is to be good examples to the flock and again, all of us can probably think of leaders who didn't get this right. 00:26:43.259 --> 00:26:50.663 It was more like a form of military exercise than a follow me as I follow Christ kind of leadership. 00:26:52.390 --> 00:27:09.640 Jesus encouraged his followers like this, he said in Mark, chapter 10, and Jesus called them to him and said to them you know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles, lord it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them, but it shall not be so among you. 00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:17.200 But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 00:27:17.200 --> 00:27:25.786 For even the Son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. 00:27:25.786 --> 00:27:32.122 How in the world would we, as church leaders, think we'd have it any different than the way Jesus had it? 00:27:32.122 --> 00:27:34.932 He is our example. 00:27:34.932 --> 00:27:51.395 He is the chief shepherd, the good shepherd right, and he humbled himself, he lowered himself, he served when he deserved to be served, and that should be the motivation of those who are in leadership within church life. 00:27:51.395 --> 00:27:54.682 So the reward for proper this is good. 00:27:54.682 --> 00:27:57.621 It's all good news, but this is great news. 00:27:57.621 --> 00:28:08.295 The reward for proper service to the church is out of this world, and when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 00:28:08.295 --> 00:28:10.699 What great news that is. 00:28:10.699 --> 00:28:24.376 Three times in this passage, peter alludes to the fact that Jesus is going to come back, and when he comes back we will all experience the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ. 00:28:24.376 --> 00:28:26.361 Are you looking forward to that? 00:28:26.361 --> 00:28:29.285 If not, repent. 00:28:29.285 --> 00:28:33.538 We are called to be those who are looking forward to his returning. 00:28:34.881 --> 00:28:46.501 An elder's work involves and I'm not, this is not like cry me a river, I'm not trying to make you feel bad, but this is the honest truth An elder's work involves a tremendous expenditure of physical and emotional energy. 00:28:46.501 --> 00:28:48.013 It takes a toll. 00:28:48.013 --> 00:28:49.439 It's hard work. 00:28:49.439 --> 00:29:07.777 He must be willing to sympathize, to counsel, to reprove, to rebuke, to teach, to discipline and warn, and all of that with a smile on his face, and at times it may seem a thankless task, because a lot of times, the only times that people notice you is if you what? 00:29:07.777 --> 00:29:20.503 If you mess up, you say that word wrong, or if you misquote that verse, or if you whatever, if you're having a bad day, and then that's the way that people categorize or characterize you. 00:29:21.691 --> 00:29:34.377 But a special reward and there's the good news is promised to the faithful elder when Jesus Christ returns, the chief shepherd, when he appears, do you know what he's going to do for all of those who have been faithful servants in his house? 00:29:34.377 --> 00:29:40.077 He's going to give crowns to each one. 00:29:40.077 --> 00:29:52.571 I don't know about the rest of you, but the crown that I'm given will never touch my head, because the only thing that I'm going to want to do with it. 00:29:52.571 --> 00:30:09.055 And the reason, one of the reasons that I'm motivated to live the way that I do and to serve the way that I do, is because I want to have something that's worth, something to give back to him, to cast down at his feet as I cry. 00:30:09.055 --> 00:30:16.678 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, god Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come. 00:30:16.678 --> 00:30:22.500 Can you imagine showing up to that celebration and having nothing appropriate to give to the king? 00:30:28.810 --> 00:30:37.777 So, moving from spiritual leaders to church members, church partners Say that's me All right, there's five of you here, that's good. 00:30:37.777 --> 00:30:42.335 You're wondering what I'm going to say first before you agree to. 00:30:42.335 --> 00:30:43.598 I understand, I understand. 00:30:43.598 --> 00:30:44.991 I want to read the small print too. 00:30:44.991 --> 00:30:45.833 Okay, here we go. 00:30:45.833 --> 00:30:50.804 Church members should follow their elders and pastor's leadership. 00:30:50.804 --> 00:30:54.075 Oh, that's tough. 00:30:54.075 --> 00:30:58.784 He says likewise, you who are younger be subject to the elders. 00:30:58.784 --> 00:31:01.834 That's what Peter says here. 00:31:02.756 --> 00:31:09.117 Having considered all the requirements of those who are in church leadership, there's just one thing asked of those under their care. 00:31:09.117 --> 00:31:18.815 All of this explanation of how leaders are supposed to live and what their heart motivation is supposed to be, and why they should do what they do and how they should do what they do. 00:31:18.815 --> 00:31:33.412 The only thing that's asked of those under their care is that they would honor and value and respect the things that are said and done by those that are in leadership when they're godly. 00:31:33.412 --> 00:31:39.343 I always tell people when I first meet them and they first become a part of our church. 00:31:39.343 --> 00:31:42.034 I try to say to them I am not perfect. 00:31:42.034 --> 00:31:43.637 I am a human being. 00:31:43.637 --> 00:31:56.498 I don't want to ever hurt you or offend you, but if you follow me around long enough, I promise you I'm not going to try to, but I'm going to do something or say something that's going to be offensive to you or that might even hurt you. 00:31:56.498 --> 00:32:04.882 So here's what I ask you to do Anything that you see of Christ in me, follow that. 00:32:04.882 --> 00:32:17.214 Even Paul used these words follow me as what as I follow Christ, so follow us as elders, as we follow Christ. 00:32:17.255 --> 00:32:17.996 Does that make sense? 00:32:17.996 --> 00:32:19.877 What the Bible's teaching here? 00:32:19.877 --> 00:32:21.058 Why? 00:32:21.058 --> 00:32:27.286 Because the overseers have wisdom that comes from years of experience in the things of God. 00:32:27.286 --> 00:32:33.811 We have seen some things, we have done some things. 00:32:33.811 --> 00:32:34.314 We have been some places. 00:32:34.314 --> 00:32:44.939 If you put the collective, just knowledge that we've gained over the many, many years of serving the Lord, I'm telling you we could write some books, couldn't we, gentlemen, and maybe some of you are, and maybe we should write more? 00:32:44.939 --> 00:32:48.414 And a lot of wisdom comes from what? 00:32:48.414 --> 00:32:50.540 Learning from making mistakes. 00:32:50.540 --> 00:32:53.896 So it's not all wisdom, that's just. 00:32:53.896 --> 00:32:57.871 You know, we did everything right and this is why you should do it like this. 00:32:59.554 --> 00:33:02.618 Leaders have a deep, experiential knowledge of the Word of God. 00:33:02.618 --> 00:33:06.585 The Word of God is our life manual. 00:33:06.585 --> 00:33:17.143 We live in it, right In it, we live and move and have our being, and they are the ones to whom God has given responsibility for the care of the sheep. 00:33:17.143 --> 00:33:17.744 Now, here's the truth. 00:33:17.744 --> 00:33:31.544 There's a temptation in every new generation don't blame it on this one, because you were once this too, if you're honest in every new generation to resist the wisdom and leadership of those who are in authority. 00:33:31.544 --> 00:33:33.570 Am I right? 00:33:33.570 --> 00:33:37.555 That should not be true of the church. 00:33:37.555 --> 00:33:46.522 We should be the one institution that is free from what becomes the cultural norm within our society. 00:33:46.522 --> 00:33:50.586 If it is anti-Scripture, does that make sense? 00:33:50.586 --> 00:34:04.233 We should be living our lives in such a way that we prove out the word of God, not that we resist it or that we push against it. 00:34:04.233 --> 00:34:08.661 Right, when we do things God's way, he gets the glory and things work out for good. 00:34:09.041 --> 00:34:15.338 Hebrews 13, 17 says obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls. 00:34:15.338 --> 00:34:19.956 As those who will have to give an account Forgot to add that in too. 00:34:19.956 --> 00:34:36.840 We, as spiritual leaders, those who are elders and pastors and the other five-fold ministry within the church, when we stand before God, we will stand before God for ourselves, for our wives, for our families and for the church and churches that we were leaders in. 00:34:36.840 --> 00:34:39.898 That is a serious and sober thing. 00:34:39.898 --> 00:34:52.914 As those who will have to give account, let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. 00:34:52.914 --> 00:34:56.887 I have to say again never been a part of a church leadership like this. 00:34:56.887 --> 00:35:17.532 I've never been a part of a church like this either, where there is so much joy that comes from serving, and that's because of the heart that each of you have and maintain your relationship with God first, your relationship with each other within your families and friend groups, and all of that and also the way that you relate to us as leaders within the church. 00:35:17.532 --> 00:35:21.807 You make ministry way easier than it could be. 00:35:21.807 --> 00:35:23.452 That make sense. 00:35:23.452 --> 00:35:25.295 Thank you for doing that. 00:35:25.295 --> 00:35:26.418 Thank you very much. 00:35:26.418 --> 00:35:30.786 So how are we going to do this? 00:35:30.786 --> 00:35:34.045 How are leaders going to lead the way they need to and how are followers going to follow the way that they need to? 00:35:34.849 --> 00:35:41.385 The key to proper relationships within the church is what Humility Peter goes on to say. 00:35:41.385 --> 00:35:49.306 Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 00:35:49.306 --> 00:35:58.431 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that, at the proper time, he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him. 00:35:58.431 --> 00:35:59.653 Because why? 00:35:59.653 --> 00:36:02.559 Because he cares for you. 00:36:02.559 --> 00:36:04.586 How many of you know that? 00:36:04.586 --> 00:36:07.472 Humility is one of the greatest virtues of all. 00:36:07.472 --> 00:36:10.039 It is beautiful. 00:36:10.039 --> 00:36:16.217 It leaves me speechless when I see people exercising humility in their lives. 00:36:16.217 --> 00:36:24.469 Because I know what you guys are made of and I know the strengths that you have and I know the accomplishments that some of you have accomplished in your life. 00:36:24.469 --> 00:36:40.128 And for you to carry yourselves with humility I think of Aaron Jones, I mean and I could call out so many different names For you to carry yourselves I know he loves that I called him out, but for you to carry yourselves in such humility is remarkable. 00:36:40.128 --> 00:36:42.670 It's remarkable. 00:36:42.670 --> 00:36:49.860 It's a gift of grace that God gives us to be able to walk that out and we are following Christ in that right. 00:36:49.860 --> 00:36:56.518 Can you imagine a church whose leaders were characterized by humility? 00:36:56.518 --> 00:37:07.610 We pray, when we pray together, we ask God to help us to lead from a place of humility, to help us to lead from a place of humility. 00:37:07.630 --> 00:37:16.967 I want to say something to you this morning, just as an acknowledgement of something that I messed up. 00:37:16.967 --> 00:37:25.335 We, as a team, we should have gone back to one service before we did, and we waited longer than we needed to wait to do that. 00:37:25.335 --> 00:37:41.364 And so I just want to acknowledge and humble myself before you and say it would have been better for us to do that, and you, a lot of you, paid the price by having to serve in extraordinary ways, and thank you for doing that, for keeping a good heart and all of those things. 00:37:41.364 --> 00:37:48.119 But looking back on it now, I wish that we had done that sooner, and so I just wanted to. 00:37:48.119 --> 00:37:59.193 I just felt like the Lord quickened me just in this moment to just express to you just an attitude of humility in that it would have been better for us to have done that sooner. 00:37:59.193 --> 00:38:00.235 Does that make sense? 00:38:00.235 --> 00:38:11.079 So thank you for loving us and for giving us the chance to make mistakes and to own them and to move forward. 00:38:11.079 --> 00:38:12.646 Aren't you glad to be together? 00:38:12.646 --> 00:38:14.451 I know I am. 00:38:14.451 --> 00:38:15.333 I know I am. 00:38:16.474 --> 00:38:23.516 So how about the members of the church if all of you carried yourself with the same kind of attitude of humility? 00:38:23.516 --> 00:38:25.326 If that was your MO as well? 00:38:25.326 --> 00:38:30.989 I think it is for the largest part, but maybe today the Lord's dealing. 00:38:30.989 --> 00:38:38.585 I know he's been dealing with my heart all week as I've been regurgitating this and considering it and trying to figure out what I needed to say from this passage. 00:38:38.585 --> 00:38:43.554 Maybe the Lord's dealing with our hearts about humility. 00:38:43.554 --> 00:38:46.036 Maybe it's not even church life, maybe it's in your marriage. 00:38:46.036 --> 00:38:59.577 Can you imagine if both of you in your marriage chose to live humbly and to exercise humility in your relationship with each other? 00:38:59.597 --> 00:39:00.681 How about children who chose humility? 00:39:00.681 --> 00:39:11.114 I know that I don't know if Jordan's in the room here or not, but Jordan and Hannah when they were teenagers I don't know if Jordan's in the room here or not, but Jordan and Hannah when they were teenagers, jordan especially knew some things. 00:39:11.114 --> 00:39:12.976 He was born knowing a lot of things. 00:39:12.976 --> 00:39:21.266 You know what I'm saying and that's it's true. 00:39:21.266 --> 00:39:22.309 I'm not even making that up. 00:39:22.309 --> 00:39:22.690 He really was. 00:39:22.690 --> 00:39:35.606 And so there came a point in time where I was becoming frustrated overly frustrated with the fact that he knew so many things and he declared them with such confidence that if anybody else thought differently, it didn't seem to really matter. 00:39:35.606 --> 00:39:37.007 Does that make sense? 00:39:37.007 --> 00:39:38.831 So what did we do? 00:39:38.831 --> 00:39:43.619 We instituted a rule, which I'm going to. 00:39:43.619 --> 00:39:44.867 This is free for you. 00:39:44.867 --> 00:39:46.934 You can take this home and exercise it if you want. 00:39:46.934 --> 00:39:55.188 It's called the in my opinion rule. 00:39:55.208 --> 00:40:02.333 And so everybody, we just came together at the table, we talked about it and we said guys, from here on out, you're free to have strong opinions, you're free to express those opinions. 00:40:02.333 --> 00:40:09.949