Shepherds & Sheep Under the Chief Shepherd

The Bible establishes a clear relationship between church elders and their congregation based on shepherding rather than corporate management. Elders are called to three primary responsibilities: teaching sound doctrine, guarding against false teaching, and devoting themselves to prayer. They must shepherd willingly and by example, not through domination. In response, the congregation should honor their labor, submit with trust, and provide support and care. Both elders and members live under Christ's ultimate authority as Chief Shepherd, creating accountability for faithful leadership and responsive followership.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Well, every now and then on occasion, I will preach on a topic and expound on a topic that we see in Scripture. And so today is when that fourth grade Bible drill is going to come in handy. Because we are going to be flipping around through some scriptures. It's a celebratory day for us as a church, for uh it's no small occasion when we vote on a new elder to serve as an under-shepherd of Christ for our congregation. Now, the last time we voted on an elder, I preached to the qualifications of an elder in 1 Timothy chapter 3. So today I wanted to explore more about what the biblical responsibilities are of an elder to the congregation and what the biblical responsibilities of the congregation to an elder is. And there are three assumptions that I want us to start out with on the same page just for sake of clarity. Number one, we are an elder-led, congregationally ruled church. We believe in congregationalism as an example that we see in the New Testament. So that means that we believe that the elders in this church have authority of counsel and the congregation has authority of command. We believe that's the example that we see in the New Testament. So I am not arguing for that in this sermon. It is assumed that we are all on that page. Number two, my reference to elders throughout this sermon is in reference to good biblical elders, not bad ones. And number three, congregational churches such as ours should have a mechanism in place for removal of elders who are not qualified or able to fulfill the role of elder. So with these three assumptions in place, we can speed up to what does a healthy relationship look like between good elders and the congregation that they shepherd? So as we vote on adding another elder today, we need to know what we're asking an elder to do biblically. And we also need to know as a congregation what is our duty to the elders? These are very important things to know from a biblical perspective. The question to answer is what is the biblical model for the relationship between elders and the church? Now, the Church of Jesus Christ is not an organization that we built, it's a people that Christ purchased. Acts 20 reminds us that the church was obtained with his own blood, which means everything about how it is led and how it functions deeply matters to Christ. And in his wisdom, Christ has not left his church without care. He has given shepherds, elders, pastors. The term elder and pastor is interchangeable. He's given them shepherds to watch over, teach, and guide his people. And he has called his people, the church, to respond in a way that makes shepherding a joy and not a burden. Now, whenever we talk about leadership and authority, there can be tension. Some have seen leadership abused, others have seen leadership ignored. But scripture gives us something better than both of those extremes. It gives us a picture, excuse me, of mutual care under the authority of Christ. So this morning is not about elevating elders or diminishing the church, it's about understanding how Christ cares for his church through elders and how the church flourishes when both live out their God-given roles. And at the center of all of this is this truth. Jesus Christ is the chief shepherd. Elders are under-shepherds, and the church belongs to him. So if Christ is the chief shepherd, then the first question that we need to ask is this what does he actually call elders to do? What does faithful shepherding look like according to Scripture? That brings us to the first point, the calling of elders, shepherd the flock. Turn with me to 1 Peter chapter 5, verses 1 through 3. And Peter writes, So I exhort the elders among you, 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, 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. And by the way, I want to pause here and just point out to you the same thing that I pointed out to you about John. Peter, an apostle, has every right to identify himself as an apostle, a very limited office set for a very limited amount of men that no longer exist on this earth. And yet Peter and John both use the title to refer to themselves as elder or pastor. It just that rings loudly to me how they saw fit to identify as this under-shepherd under Christ, even though they had rights to claim to this higher office of apostle. So what we see Peter right here about a shepherd, this is the core identity of an elder pastor, to be a shepherd, not a CEO, not a manager, not a board member, not a distant decision maker, but a shepherd. A shepherd knows the flock, a shepherd feeds the flock, protects the flock, and leads the flock. And notice how Peter describes how this is to be done. Not under compulsion, but willingly, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering, but being examples. In other words, elders are not to lead reluctantly, but they're to lead willingly. Elders are not to lead for personal gain, but with eager hearts. And elders are not to lead by force, but to lead by example. Now it's no wonder that Paul instructs us in 1 Timothy 3, which we looked at last time, five years ago, four years ago, three years ago. What was it? Four years ago. Paul instructs us in 1 Timothy 3, the qualifications of an elder, Paul instructs that elders are to be hospitable. Elders are to open their lives to the church and they're and are constantly in the lives of the members of the church. And hospitality comes with sacrifice. Elders are to regularly give up their time, their comforts, their home in order to be with the sheep. Not only should an elder desire to be with the sheep regularly through the weekly gatherings here at the church, but also through regular visitations and having people in their home. Elders are not to be a leader in a distant corner office that communicates to the church through memos about working down some chain. Elders are to regularly be amongst the people whom God has called them to shepherd. If a man meets all of the other criteria in 1 Timothy chapter 3, but are not willing to be hospitable, then he is not qualified to be an elder because it is only through hospitality that elders will know their flock. Earlier this week, Piper and I were walking the fence line around our pasture early one evening. As we were doing this, the sheep were grazing, but they were staying in our gentle direction, kind of following me, staying near to me. I have been the shepherd of these sheep for years now. They know me, they know my voice, they come to me, they are comforted by me, and they are used to my presence because I am regularly with them. I have put in the work required to be viewed by them in that manner. And they now know and trust that if they are near me, they are safe, they have feed, they have water, they associate my shepherding over them with life. Therefore they instinctively want to be near me. In fact, as we were ending our walk and we were uh in the part of our pasture, Courtney comes out to meet us, and Courtney puts her arms on the fence, and she's gonna see if she can get the sheep to come away from me to her. So she called them. Not only did she call them, she tried to call them the same way that I call them. Maybe one or two looked up at her. And just to be a show-off, I called them, to which they all immediately and excitedly came running. That's what it means to be a shepherd. The sheep want to be with the shepherd because they know that being near the shepherd means that they have life. Elders should aspire to lead the flock of God in such a manner where hospitality and frequency of care overflows to a trusting relationship where the church knows that under that man's shepherding is safe, you will get fed the truth of the word of God, and you will be guarded against predators that seek to devour you. This does not happen by decree. This does not happen by titles given. This does not even happen by a church vote. This only happens by regularly being a willingly hospitable shepherd. Now, this is radically different from how leadership often works in the world. And Acts 2028 deepens the weight of this. In Acts 2028, Luke writes, 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. This means that every soul in the church is infinitely valuable. How do we know that? Because Christ paid for them with infinite value. He paid for them with his blood. So elders are called to watch themselves carefully and to also watch the flock carefully. This is not casual leadership. This is sole care under the authority of Christ. It is no small price that Christ paid for his bride, the church, and until he comes back to bring her home in her entirety, he has provided under shepherds to tend the flock with which he paid such a dear price. Number two, the charge of elders. So if elders are called to shepherd the flock, what does that actually look like in practice? Now, Scripture gives us a clear picture at the heart of shepherding. There are three primary responsibilities to teach, to guard, and to pray. Now turn with me to Titus 1.9. It's good to hear all those digital Bibles pages turning there. I still hear some paper Bibles. Titus 1.9. John Calvin said that pastors must have two voices, one for calling the sheep and one for scaring off the wolves. This represents this uh uh double mode of a pastor to teach the truth and to also guard against falsehoods. So under teach the truth, Titus 1.9, he must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction and sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. Elders are called to hold firm to the word of God. This means that we are not innovators of truth, they are stewards of truth. They don't create the message, they faithfully pass it on. And from that firm grip on the word comes their responsibility to teach, to instruct, to explain, to apply. Because the primary way that a church is nourished is through sound doctrine. The primary way that a church is nourished is through the truth of the word of God. It's not nourished through preferences, it's not nourished through trends, it's not nourished through what you want to hear in the moment. We will only be nourished by the truth of the word of God, but what God has spoken. Thus saith the Lord. This means that when an elder stands to teach, whether here in the pulpit, in a classroom, in a living room, or in the patio afresh at lunchtime, the goal is not to impress people. The goal is to feed people, to open the scriptures and say, this is what God has said, and this is how it shapes our lives. An elder is not to search for consensus of what the congregation thinks about God's word and reflect that. An elder is not to consistently be dodging controversial teachings and texts out of fear of disharmony. An elder is to teach the truth of God, period. An elder is also to guard the truth. We are to protect the church from error. The end of the verse continues, and also to rebuke those who contradict it. Now the word rebuke can sound harsh to our ears, but at its heart it is protective. Just as a shepherd guards sheep from wolves, elders must guard the church from anything that would distort the gospel or lead people away from Christ. Sometimes that means addressing false teaching. Sometimes it means correcting misunderstanding. Sometimes it means saying that idea may sound good, but it's not faithful to Scripture. And this is not done out of pride or out of a desire to win arguments, it's done out of a love for the flock. Because what we believe shapes how we live. And if the truth is distorted, then the church is harmed. People are harmed. Individual lives are harmed. A Barna study shows that 60% of Americans claim Christianity. On the surface, that seems like a good number. But when asked how many people hold to a biblical worldview, again, you would think that would match up with 60%. It does not. It drops. Not to 50%, not 40%, not 30%. Four. Four percent of Americans hold to a world biblical worldview. 60% of Americans claim Christianity. 4% of Americans hold to a biblical worldview. We have a pastor crisis in America. Few pastors guard the flock. The focus, it seems, is on building a personal platform, adopting a grow-at-all-cost model. And the first thing that go that goes when you adopt a grow-at-all cost model is guarding the flock. Because if you are offensive as a pastor, then you're not likely to grow as much as one who is less offensive. And I don't mean intentionally offensive like a provocateur, but being willing to dig deep into scripture and to not let cultural norms, even Christian cultural norms, dictate what we preach and what we teach. But being guided by the truths of Scripture, even when they are offensive and unpopular, even amongst professing Christians, culture changes frequently. The word of God never changes. Over 160 years ago, the majority of churches in the South supported slavery as a positive good or a divine institution. Pastors and churches in the South who were against slavery were often persecuted harshly. This is a great example of guarding the truth regardless of what others around you believe. So elders must have both the courage and the clarity to stand on the truth and defend it when necessary. And lastly, elders are to devote themselves to prayer. This is the third listed here, but that does not make it less essential. This is the most essential job of an elder, one would argue. In Acts 6, 4, what we see, we believe, is the first institution of deacons. The reason that we see the apostles institute deacons is so that they may devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. And notice they're in that order. They say, firstly, we need to devote ourselves to prayer. We cannot be serving tables. Now they don't say that in a sense of, well, we're too good to serve tables. They say we need help serving the tables so that prayer does not go neglected. We must pray and minister the word. Not activity, not constant busyness, not endless administration, but prayer. Because elders are not ultimately who change hearts. God is. Elders are not the ones that produce spiritual growth, but God is. So they must be men who go before the Lord regularly, bringing the needs of the church to him, praying for spiritual growth, praying for salvation in the church, praying for protection from sin and error, praying for wisdom and leadership, strength and suffering. This means that the most important work that an elder does is the work that no one sees. Quiet, faithful, dependent prayer. In our elder meetings, the first thing we do is pray through the church directory. And individually, as elders, we also pray through the church members on our directory on a regular basis. You all are prayed for by name on a regular basis by the elder body here at your church. So, what does it mean for elders to shepherd the flock? It means that they teach the truth, it means that they guard the truth, it means that they depend on God through prayer. Feed the church, protect the church, seek the Lord on behalf of the church. And when these things are happening, when the word is faithfully taught, when error is resisted, when prayer is central, the church is strengthened, the church is protected, and nourished in ways that go far beyond what any human effort could ever accomplish. But the health of the church is not determined by elders alone. Scripture never presents the church as passive. Just as elders have a calling towards the church, the church has a calling towards its elders. So if the elders are called to shepherd, how is the church called to respond? Our third point this morning is the posture of the church. Honor, submit, and support. Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 12 and 13. And subheader one is to honor their labor. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 12 through 13, Paul writes, We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. Notice how Paul describes the elders here as those who labor among you. We've already said faithful eldership is not distant. If you have a good elder, you have one that's with the sheep, that's with the people. He is among the people, he is present, he is invested. Much of what he does is often unseen and sacrificial. And because of that, Paul instructs the church to esteem an elder very highly in love. Not because they're perfect, not because they're always right, not because we get everything right all the time, but because of the work they are doing. Laboring to teach, to guard, and to care for the souls. This kind of honor creates a culture where spiritual leadership is not constantly questioned or diminished, but respected and encouraged. Secondly, the church is to submit with trust. Turn to Hebrews 13, 17. Submit with trust. In Hebrews 13, 17, the writer of Hebrews writes, Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls. This is a very strong statement. But notice the reason given. What's the reason first? They are giving watch over your souls. This is not a statement about control, it's about care. Faithful elders aren't trying to run people's lives. They're not trying to have control, they're trying to help people follow Jesus. So, this submission is not a blind obedience. It's not an unthinking agreement. It is a posture of trusting, gospel-shaped willingness to be led by those God has placed in oversight. And then this verse adds something very practical. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. In other words, when a church resists, distrusts, or constantly pushes against faithful leadership, it doesn't just burden the elders, it harms the church itself. But when a church responds with trust, it creates an environment where elders can lead with joy. And that joy becomes an overflowing blessing to the entire body. Thirdly, sub point, support and care for them. Turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 5. All the T's are together, so it makes it easy. 1 Timothy chapter 5, verses 17 and 18. Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. The word honor includes both respect and tangible support. The church is called to care for its elders, not just with words, but in real practical ways. That includes encouragement, prayer, and where appropriate, financial support for those laboring and preaching and teaching. Because just as elders pour themselves out for the church, the church is called to care for those who lead them. Another Barna study shows that pastors have higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide than the average population. The people who have the job on this earth to be heralds of the gospel and make their living of the gospel have a higher rate of suicide than the average population. I think we as churches should look closely at why this is. We've experienced this in our own community. This is dear to our hearts. What are churches doing to make their pastors pastor them with joy? Now I will also say this, I meant to say this at the beginning. Church membership is often transient. Some of you may be here for a lifetime, but we've already seen people come and people go. And that you honor your elders in a way that Scripture says to honor your elders. Because I want somebody to go from our church and move to some other place, I don't know, Mississippi maybe. And that pastor calls me and says, What did you teach your people? Because they know how to honor their elders. That person is a joy for me to pastor. You've taught them well. Um they've come in and given me a boost to pastor because you've taught them how to be a biblical church member. Now, this definitely comes with a balanced relationship. And God thought of that too. And so we have examples of how does this balanced relationship occur in Scripture. We see in 1 Timothy chapter 5, moving on with verses 19 and 20. Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. So we're told charges against elders must have proper witnesses. And elders persisting in sin are rebuked publicly. So this relationship between the church and the elder is not a blind or unquestioning relationship. That's not what we're saying. In fact, I would tell you, you guys don't question me enough. I would tell you what, if you were to say, what are the things uh that surprise you about pastoral ministry? Um I could give you a list. What would be at the top of the list is the number of times that I hear that somebody disagrees with me, but they never come to me. Uh you can disagree with me. If I am preaching something from this pulpit, I can guarantee you it's been chewed on. If you disagree with me to the point where you want to talk about it, let's talk about it. Let's sit down and talk about it. How did you come to this conclusion? Well, here's how I came to this conclusion. What do you think about the text? Oh, I think this. Okay, let's have a conversation about it. I can tell you the number of times that that's happened since I've been the pastor here, less than five. The number of times that I've heard somebody tell somebody else they disagree with what I said, a lot more than five. We're not saying we're unquestionable. We're not even saying that we get it right all the time. Uh, but I love those conversations. That's that's a teaching element. That's a teaching time. Let's have a discussion about what the scripture teaches. Let's work together through a text and see. So this relationship is not blind or unquestioning, but scripture does say elders are to be protected from careless accusations. It wasn't long before I was in full-time ministry as a youth minister that I remember hearing that somebody said that I said something that I never said. I'm like, where do they even get that from? I never, I never said that. I was a young man, probably 22 at the time, and just hearing that happen, uh, it happens. Scripture says you cannot charge an elder unless there's two or three witnesses. So if someone comes to you and says, hey, uh, one of the elders of the church said such and such, you've got to have witnesses. You have to have somebody that can corroborate that. Otherwise, you have no claim. Uh, scripture is plain that God is going to protect a good elder because slander will happen. Gossip will happen. Negative things will be said as Satan seeks to creep in. And again, if you have a true claim against an elder, get your witnesses and get it dealt with. That's what scripture also says. Hey, if you do have an elder that's misbehaving, they don't get the same treatment that you do as a private church member, where if you are caught in unrepentant sin, you have the ability to repent privately and not be made known to the entire church. There are three men, about to be four, in this congregation, that will no longer have that privilege. We don't have the privilege that you have. If we are caught in a disqualifying sin, we get in the express lane to being brought before the church publicly in accordance with what Scripture teaches. So there's that balance there of elders have this extra protection, but they also have more accountability in how sin is dealt with. So this is what healthy church life looks like: not suspicion, not blind loyalty, but truth, integrity, and mutual responsibility to care for one another. So, what is this posture of the church toward its elders? It's to honor their labor, to submit with trust, and to support them with care. And when that happens, something powerful takes place. The church becomes a place where leadership is not resisted at every turn. Shepherding is not a burden, but a joy. And Christ's design for his church is actually lived out. Because ultimately, this is not about elevating men, it is about responding rightly to Christ's care for his church. He has given the church shepherds for her good. And when the church embraces that gift with the humility and trust, it leads to health, unity, and spiritual growth. And yet, neither elders nor the church are ultimate, both live under an even greater authority. So before we close, we need to lift our eyes to the one who stands over both shepherds and the sheep, the chief shepherd who will one day call us all to account. Fourthly, the accountability of all under the chief shepherd. 1 Peter 5 4 says, And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Hebrews 13, 17 tells us that elders keep watch over souls as ones who will have to give an account. This is one of the most sobering realities in all of Scripture regarding leadership in the church. Elders will give an account, not just what was taught publicly, but for how they lived privately, not just for decisions that they made and meetings, but how they cared for souls in the church. They will stand before Christ and answer to how they shepherded his people. That means that eldership is not a role to be taken lightly. It's not a platform, it is a stewardship. And the reality should shape everything about how an elder leads, with humility, not pride, with seriousness, not carelessness, with dependence on God and not self-confidence, because one day every under-shepherd will stand before the chief shepherd. That's what exactly Peter points us to in that passage. This reminds us of something very essential. Elders are not the true shepherds. Christ is. Elders are not above the church, they are among the church, saved by the same grace, accountable to the same Lord. And the church is not beneath Christ's care. He has given shepherds as a gift for your good. So let Calvary be a church where elders lead with humility, courage, and faithfulness, that the church responds with joy, trust, and prayer, and that everything that we do together reflects the heart of our chief shepherd. Because one day, our chief shepherd will appear. And on that day, what will matter most is not how impressive our structure was, but whether we were all faithful to him. May we know in our hearts and our minds and say, may he find us faithful. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank you for Christ, our chief shepherd. This morning we pray that the elders in this church would shepherd well, with humility and faithfully, with courage. Father, I pray for our church. Pray that we would all take seriously what your word says and understand that when put together and done rightly and done biblically, this is a beautiful thing. Father, we cannot do this without the help of the Holy Spirit. So we ask that the Holy Spirit be with us always, so that we may be faithful. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.