Profile of a Good Shepherd - 1 Peter 5:1-4

You will have in Scripture.

Shepherds that are put in a good light. Because of their care sheep on the other hand, in the Bible are not always put in the greatest of life. Isaiah 53 all we like sheep have gone astray. All gone our own way that the only time cheaper place in favorable light is when they're placed under the good supervision of a good ship God always had a plan for his flock the church to grow and build his kingdom today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shares his top teaching from the 2010 explaining what God envisioned when he charged shepherds to service people that you then at the end of today's program and his wife might share some resources to help you grow closer with your good ship after six of them with everyone connect skip.com go to that website connectwithskip.com you can access over 3500 sermons verse by verse teaching any book of the Bible. I people all the time as they always go to find out you have to say about this because it's very rare to find a Bible commentary in oral form like that so that's connectwithskip.com.

Thank you, skip, be sure to stay tuned after today's message to hear the full conversation. Now we want to tell you about a resource that shines important like what's happening in the Middle East, New York Times best-selling author Joel Rosenberg is now based in Jerusalem and he's releasing the new nonfiction book enemies and allies I traveled with Joel to the middle of the cities to meet with Kings Crown Prince. We sat together on the east lawn of the White House for the signing of the historic Abraham of and I previewed his new book enemies and allies. I can tell you it contains never before published quotes from behind closed door meetings with some of the most powerful and mysterious leaders in the Middle East. You will want to read enemies and allies by Joel Rosenberg includes insights and analysis. The authors conversation is what is needed. Leaders meet's house means. Come meet the most cost leaders enemies and allies by Joel Rosenberg includes insights and analysis of the authors conversations with some of the most controversial leaders in the world will send you a hardcover copy of enemies and allies. Thanks for your gift of $35 or more to give. Visit connectwithskip.com or call 892 1888, chapter 5 Heights extorts today's you'll probably never find a sports team that has as its mascot sheep.

I think in football now right Denver sheep. The Denver Broncos St. Louis sheet known on a Rams right talk of strong animals, not sheep when it comes to coinage. You will find a sheep on a coin in this country. You might in New Zealand, but here you find the following goal but not sheep when it comes to protecting your personal property. Have any of you ever owned the guard sheep have you ever seen a sign beware of the Lamb because there docile, even timid creatures, not only are they timid, they require care. In fact, they require separate. There was a woman who was just sick and tired of all those blonde jokes and so she decided to dyed her hair black sheep died black and she was out for a drive in the country and the car she slowed down because the shepherd was directing a flock of sheep across the road so she stopped and she rolled her window down as she yelled out the shepherd. Hey, if I can guess exactly how many she bring her flock.

Can I have one of them said sure, take a stab at it. She said you have 257 sheep when he stepped back, amazed at her advanced intelligence because that's exactly how many he had and so he said we are free to take one so she took one put in the car was about to drive off and heard a knock on the glass was the shepherd, and he leaned in and he said he if I can guess what color your hair really is. Can I have my dog back.

Yeah, I guess, sheep and dogs need a good Shepherd when you go to the Scripture. You often notice that the figure of a shepherd is one of the most heartwarming pictures of the relationship that God has with his people. It's a picture of care.

It's a picture of diligence, any passage of Scripture is driven by the verbs that are in that section of Scripture and in verses one through four. There is a verb that all of this section revolves around and I draw your attention to it. In verse two. The verb is the first word shepherd shepherd the flock of God which is among you. The Lord is often seen as a shepherd in the Bible. Psalm 23 the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm 100. We are the sheep of his pasture where the people of his hand.

So you you will have in Scripture.

Shepherds that are put in a good light.

Because of their care sheep on the other hand, in the Bible are not always put in the greatest of light.

Isaiah 53 all we like sheep have gone astray.

We've all gone our own way. In fact the only time cheaper place in favorable light is when they're placed under the good supervision of a good Shepherd because sheep get lost easily. They do not navigate well they do not find their way on their own are not like dogs or pigeons go back to where the game from there lost that one professor of philosophy.

Tongue-in-cheek said the existence of sheep is evidence against the theory of evolution. There's no way she could have survived that process, you know, survival of the fittest.

They're not. They require constant oversight constant leading constant rescue, constant cleaning or they will die a great book written by a shepherd several years ago includes these words sheep just do not take care of themselves.

They require more than any class of livestock and less attention and meticulous care.

The behavior of sheep in human beings is similar in many ways our mass mind or mob instinct our fears and timidity our stubbornness and stupidity are all parallels of profound importance. And yet Peter addresses the people of God. In chapter 5 is a flock know he does not do that to put anyone down but simply to raise the bar of integrity, saying anyone who's gonna be a leader of God's flock has to meet certain criteria. Let's look at chapter 5, beginning in verse one, the elders, who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly notice being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Paul has a lot to say to shepherds, pastors, elders, Peter has three main things to say to them.

Three main responsibilities or qualifications.

The first is relationship.

The second is calling the third is desire. Those three things relationship calling desire.

Humans have a personal relationship with Christ a practical gifting to serve Christ in a powerful desire to please Christ. Let's look at them.

Let's unpack these things really have four verses, but here's Peter's words.

Thus the Lord's words to these leaders in inverse wanted to nurse three words I want you to notice with. I want to explain them to you. I want to. As I said, unpack the first is the word elder.

He writes to elders as himself being an elder. That word is the Greek word press but terror costs we get the term Presbyterian from it was first assembly was mature, often older, wiser, it's a term that is borrowed from the Old Testament brought into the New Testament, there were the elders of the children of Israel. The second word I like you to notice is in verse two. It's the word overseers to different word app to Skip we get the word Episcopal from that a bishop and overseer and the third is the word shepherd also found in verse two, though it is using its verb form here second person plural imperative verb is often used in a noun form shepherd, and the word in Greek would be appointment now is what I want you to know all three of those words describe one person same person whether the word Presbytery loss. Elder Episcopal as Bishop or play main shepherd is you speaks of one individual. Three different words to describe one person why the term elder describes his maturity. The term Bishop describes his responsibility in the term pastor describes his ministry he feeds sheep so he speaks to elders as a fellow elder I love this about Peter.

Peter doesn't come off as somebody superior he doesn't say I Peter, the great apostle says I'm a fellow elder I come to you as one of you.

I imagine at that time Peter become so famous in the early church. One of the few surviving original company of men that were with Jesus that pastors and leaders everywhere revered him but he comes not as one of the three most intimate friends, but as a fellow elder and one who had a personal relationship with the suffering and the risen Christ. Notice the wording, he says, and a witness retailer witnesses in the Bible. When this is somebody who sees and hears something and then tells others what is seen and heard all the witnesses he was personally with Christ. That is past tense. I was there when he suffered, but now looking to the future, he says, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. So unlike you, I was personally with Jesus and watched him suffer like you I'm waiting for him to return. But what I want you to notice overall is that Peter writes as one who had a personal encounter. Thus a personal relationship with Christ. That's the first mark of a good Shepherd is a man who personally walks with God and is growing in that walk with God in a relationship with Christ is real and being cultivated growing that person has a base from which to share and to minister to others back. I'll say it this way as the shepherd goes, so goes the sheep as the shepherd grows so grow the sheep of the shepherd is growing cheaper growing if the shepherd is stagnating. The sheep will be expecting which means church leaders should be always growing in their personal lives, their spiritual walks their marriages, their gifts that they use in their knowledge, all summed up in second Peter chapter 3 verse 18 but grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ imitate her story puts it all together.

There was a man who was among one of the passengers. I was in a flight flying in different cities in California. They were in Sacramento. They landed in Sacramento there was a flight delay and the stewardess gets on the intercom and she said laser Jenna will be delayed in this airport for at least 45 minutes or more, and you have the freedom to get up and go into the terminal and will reimburse after a period of time. Everybody gets up often goes off the plane except the one man he stayed seated he was blind, his seeing-eye dog was in the seat in front of underneath the seat. Evidently the pilot of that flight knew the passenger must've flown on the pilots flight before the pilot gets up goes over to the man who is blind. It is called money. Keith, he says, looking to be at this airport for about an hour you want you can go out and come back is not. I don't need all stay seated, but my dog would probably like to be walked by the said no problem I'll take care of it now want you to imagine in your mind's eye.

What would've been like to be a passenger in the terminal when your pilot comes out with the seeing-eye dog right I just add a little bit to find the pilot. He put his sunglasses on his rock out into the term, what would you have thought that's what they thought their reaction. Most of them went to the counter to switch flights someone to switch airlines altogether. Why one of the reactor like it simple.

They had no desire to entrust their lives to a man who couldn't see to fly is my point. Men who don't love their wives or don't raise their children in a godly fashion or don't know their Bibles have no business flying God's plane filled with God's people. He has to see to fly the plane so he needs his own personal relationship with the living resurrected Christ you say I know that everybody knows that really few years ago I was stunned, but delighted when one of the people who came forward at an altar call a Christmas Eve service humbly told me that he had been up and elder in the church for 25 years and never had a personal relationship with Jesus. Until that night.

I was mystified but delighted. Better late than never personal relationship with Christ. Here's the second practical gifting to serve Christ. Verse two he says shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly as being lords over those entrusted to you. Notice the terms entrusted. It's as if God says I will entrust you I trust you to take my flock and be a steward over the not being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock is the long and short of it. Shepherd must be called.

There has to be a calling. I know that's a mystical kind of a term like are you waiting around for a voice to be heard. How do you know if you have a calling. It's pretty simple. There's always a gifting that accompanies the calling you can tell if a person is called by the fruit. The person is called to be an evangelist gets was can happen people going to come to Christ. Nobody comes a Christ and he says I'm an evangelist. Okay, I wonder about that if you gifted are called to be a teacher to be gifted to be a teacher.

People will be taught. They will grow in their walks, so there will be an accompanying gift mix along with the calling when Paul announced to the church of Ephesus. Those gifted individuals that had been given to the congregation. He said there are apostles profits evangelist and pastor teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry would you notice the phrase found both in verse one and verse two. It's a phrase among you in verse 20 speaks to the elders who are among you. You being the flock in verse two he says shepherd the flock, which is among you. Now he speaks to shepherds who have the flock of God among them. But the term among you is an important term of practical accountability.

If you're gifted others among you will recognize they will know they will ratify. This is why seminary alone is not sufficient hermeneutics and homiletics courses are fine but they are not enough.

You need more you can teach techniques you can't transmit gifting only God can do that. Some people join ministry or want to be a leader in a group because they just want to be known as the leader they want people to notice them. They want the plaudits of people. No wonder James use these words. Let not many of you presume to be teachers for you will receive the stricter judgment is it's gotta be given to you by the Lord when you're among people. They will recognize God's hand on you. To the Ephesian elders and he said take care of the flock of God among whom the holy spirit has made you overseers in other words, do not touch the ministry unless the Holy Spirit gives it to Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the preacher preachers. I consider them said this, all are not called to labor in word and doctrine were to be elders or to exercise the gift of the bishop nor should all aspire to such works.

Since the gifts necessary are nowhere promised to all but those should dip themselves to such important engagements who feel like the apostle that they have received this ministry.

No man may intrude into the sheepfold as an under shepherd. He must have an eye to the chief Shepherd and wait his back and commanded if he does not sell, but he rushes into the sacred office. The Lord will say of him and others like him.

I sent them not. Neither did I command them, therefore they shall not profit this people at all saith the Lord, quoting Jeremiah 23 SPF practical gifting to serve Christ into areas. Generally speaking, Peter brings up the recipe a gifting to feed sheep and a gifting to lead sheet to the first one to feed the sheep that's in the works. Shepherd verse two. Shepherd the flock of God. The old King Jimmy says feed the flock of God because the term shepherd, and the term fever part and parcel of the same calling the same nurturing one of the primary callings of a shepherdess to feed sheep Jesus after the resurrection.

As Peter three times do you love me. Yes, Lord, I love you.

Jesus said, feed my sheep sometimes translated tender care for feed my sheep switch efforts to defeat sheep the Lord is my shepherd, David said he leads me into green pastures. My shepherd provides me food. One of the main tasks of a pastor I see our position as being a spiritual chef. I remember coming home and sit down for mail sent by registered random leaving things I member my mom saying eyes slave over a hot stove all day for you.

I'll never forget that. And I think that's what I'm called to do slave over stove of Scripture that takes time to prepare a meal that is palatable and edifying and understandable which a person can grow this pastor worth listening to is one who has thought through the truth in the presence of the Holy Spirit. And that takes time. That concludes give hydrogen message from the series.

Roxanne Mexico in the studio with Skip as they share some resources to help you grow closer with your good ship.

We have sent excellent resources as I listeners can dive into the truth. I can you share some of those but I'll share six of them with you. Number one is connectwithskip.com go to that website connectwithskip.com you can access over 3500 sermons verse by verse teachings to any book of the Bible.

I people all the time as they always go to find out what you have to say about this because it's very rare to find a whole Bible commentary in an oral form like that so that's connectwithskip.com number two there's you version these are devotionals on the app you version so if you go to you version is a Bible app.

You can find a devotional marriage, one on temptation one on developing a thankful heart, another on theology go there and get into the word that way then number three we have connect with Skip podcast. You can subscribe on spot.

If I Apple or Google play number four we have a YouTube channel line. Yet the Skip hi to YouTube channel and that has gained so much popularity and people are able to access and view the teachings of the word right there on YouTube number five we have connect with Skip Heitzigs a gap. This is probably my favorite because you can take teachings with you to go go to the app store. Go to Google play and get that little app and you can go through any part of Scripture and then number six is something we call Devo mail. Let's devotional email and Devo mail is simply truth delivered right to your inbox. So just go to connectwithskip.com and you get instructions there peanuts. Many of us can ask you which is your favorite and then he threw it out there and it occurred to me you like that app because it's on the go and if you don't know my husband he's kinetic energy not sell anything he can do on the go is the correct thanks Skip on the go. Thanks Skip in Lanyon. We hope you enjoy getting to know Skip a line yet in this conversation you can be a part of impacting lives through the gospel with the gift today to keep vital messages like this when going strong on the air.

So please consider partnering with this ministry tonight with your gift to take God's word to even more people around the world gift today@connectwithskip.com/donate.connectwithskip.com/donate or you can call hundred 90, 200 9218. Thank you. Want to let you know about a weeklong radio special with Skip Heitzigs of next share about the vision of this ministry, along with insightful discussion about current events in our world, so be sure to tune in and come back tomorrow is Skip shares his top teaching from the 2020. Exploring the moment when Jesus returns for his church.

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