(1 st Peter 5:1-4) Message #18 Pat Shaughnessy, Teacher Hear Pat s messages on:

Transcription

1 (1 st Peter 5:1-4) Message #18 Pat Shaughnessy, Teacher Hear Pat s messages on: 1) Peter is writing to believers who are persecution for their in Jesus Christ. a) God has designed His Church to have servant leaders called. b) Their responsibility is to for the individual members who are under their care in the local church. c) Their are found in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1. d) Peter identifies them as. e) So, Peter is writing to in the early Church. f) And he is encouraging them to be. g) There is we want to be sure to see here. i) And that is that a shepherd s... ii) Is born out of the willingness to for those to whom the shepherd. h) This is a good place to ourselves that the Bible says All we like have gone astray! i) Elders see themselves as shepherds in the Body of Christ. j) Obviously, Peter is talking about shepherding flock. k) Elders are merely the flock of God on His behalf. Page 1 of 5

2 l) There must be the absence of in those who care for souls. 2) Now, there are three essential characteristics or found in vss. 2&3 which are to be seen in an elder. a) First, there must be an attitude of desire or. b) Being an elder is too important a job for h -h shepherds. c) Being an elder has too many... i) Too many... ii) Too many... iii) Too many... iv) For men who just do it because it is their. 3) Here s the attitude seen at the end of vs. 2:! a) I Peter 5:2 not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; Another translation reads, Not greedy for money but to serve. b) This does not mean that elders can t receive assistance from the church. 4) Here s the 3 rd or characteristic to be seen in an elder:. a) Peter is now addressing the idea of the lust for and control over others. b) Don t misunderstand because elders do have. Page 2 of 5

3 c) But it s not authority, it is the authority of the of God. d) So, elders are not to be dictators but instead, elders are to be to the sheep. 5) Now, for the remainder of our time, I want to look at what the Bible says about this subject of of souls. a) Dr. Atkins, Dr. Phil and Weight Watchers may care about the man but who about the inner man? b) In almost every human heart there is and. c) And somebody should!! d) The Book of Hebrews tells us that there is a division between the and the. e) Man is as tri-part being, b, s and s. f) Man, has made a god of the soul: M, E and W. g) Now, I want to read to you from the 34 th chapter of the Book of Ezekiel. This is a section in which God brings an against the priests of Israel. h) Why? Because they had completely failed in their responsibility to take care of the of the people. i) So, cares for the soul? j) That s where the of the Church come in. k) Who for souls? Page 3 of 5

4 l) The Word of God tells us that not only does God the care for souls, but so does God the. m) In fact, this matter of the shepherding of is so important to God that He gives us a 3-fold picture of as a in the New Testament. 6) To begin with, in John 10 we see Jesus as the Shepherd. a) This is the first picture: Jesus as the Shepherd. b) So, Jesus went to the of the problem. c) And that led Him to the. d) Where He laid down His life for the! e) The second picture of Jesus as Shepherd is found in the Book of Hebrews where He is presented as the Shepherd. f) And now this Lord shares His victory over death with sheep on earth. g) How? He is in us, He puts His in us. h) He is the Shepherd and He is the Shepherd of the sheep. 7) The picture of Jesus as Shepherd is given to us by the Apostle Peter who calls Him the Shepherd. a) Peter says there is an awaiting elders who care for souls as long as we recognize and as under shepherds, under Christ, the Shepherd. b) Elders are men under. c) We are not free to anything we want, nor to anyway we want. Page 4 of 5

5 d) Pastoring is a great. e) And Jesus will appear and something is going to happen when He does. f) What? All of His shepherds all over the, of all will receive what Peter calls the of glory that will fade away. 8) So, we see in the ministry of the Word of God and the of what we call the church a) A community of people who are to God b) And to other in an eternal fellowship which must be moment by moment c) Day by and by week, by year. Page 5 of 5