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Sermon on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (Part One)

13 Sunday Dec 2020

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1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 (NASB95) 

12      But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 

  13      and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. 

            There is an awkwardness in any pastor standing at his home pulpit to preach this passage. A man stands before you to read a text which says to acknowledge or respect or honor him to show him great esteem. What we hear in such words is honor me, highly esteem me. This easily leads us to rebel against such an apparent display of pride: Who does he think he is? Why does he think himself so very special? There are others who preach better, who pray better, who care better, who live better. There are others who are more holy, and so on, as think how to knock him down from his perch. 

            How does any man preach this passage faithfully and avoid sounding like a egotist? How can he tell you to esteem those who teach, all the while referring to himself, because we know the application is he is the one who is teaching you.

            And even if we surmount that first barrier, what could it possibly mean to esteem, to respect? Is the congregation subservient to some man who happens to have the job? Can we disagree with him, ever? 

            Let us take the objection first. Until we get over the trouble here, we can never get to the application. Even if it is not everyone, someone will be fussing the entire time, ready to object about the apparent self-serving nature of this passage. 

            Let us then concede that one could easily preach this passage as the work of a vain egotist, seeking to gain adherents for himself. But such vanity is not in the text; it is nowhere to be found in these words. The vanity would be in the man. And it is a real temptation for a pastor to take up these words and misuse them for his own ends.

            When a judge applies the law, the judge does not make himself a king over others. The authority which the judges exercises is in his robes and in his seat. The judge is given authority to apply law. When he takes off the robes and steps down from the bench, he lays that authority aside. If a judge pronounces sentence in a courtroom, the sentence stands. If he pronounces judgment in his living room, it means nothing more than the sound of the words. 

            The authority is in the office and the exercise of that office. The authority is not in the individual human being. 

            And so it is with the pastor. The pastor’s authority lies in the office, not in the man.

            But that still needs some qualification. The authority of the pastor is not precisely the office, either. 

            If a judge begins to make-up rules and apply his own whims and claim the authority of law for his imagination, he loses that authority. Other judges will reverse his decision, because he has become a lawless judge. He will be removed from his office, because he has abused the authority of his office. 

            A pastor has authority only so far as the Word of God has authority. His authority is in the Word, not in himself. Look down at the text. If you start in the middle of verse 12 you will this:

                        Appreciate those ….

And now go to the end

                        Who give you instruction.

            It does not say that you are to give this appreciation to a bishop because of his consecration. It says that appreciation is to be given to those who teach. If someone takes the office and exercises the apparent authority and then also does not do the work of the office; if he does not instruct, the office has become a weapon and the outcome is merely sin. If a police officer uses the authority to stop and search to harass and abuse, the officer is a criminal even though he wears a badge. 

            Appreciate those who give instruction. And it is right you should.

            The work of delivering a sermon may look easy. Someone stands and speaks for some period of time and then is done. It all seems so easy. But the hour on Sunday comes after hours and hours throughout the week. And that comes after years of experience and school.

            Every task appears simply when it is done by someone with skill. To see a task performed well is to hide all the difficulty which came before. Watch a musician or athlete. The great ones look like they are at perfect ease. When we watch them we say they play. They play an instrument; they play a game. This wor looks like play. But that play comes after years of work. 

            That does not mean that you show this appreciation and esteem to the pastor because he has worked hard. It is just to say that you should not despise his work because it appears easy to you. 

            Moreover, you are not respect the pastor because he has done a good job. It is not the appreciation of his personal worth. Perhaps you respect the athlete because of his performance, but the appreciation of a pastor is not a matter of appreciation his effort. 

            You are showing respect for the office he holds; and even more than that, you are showing respect to the Word of God which establishes the office and gives authority and worth to what he does. 

            There is another way which showing esteem for the pastor shows esteem for the Word of God. Look down at your Bible. This instruction to appreciate, to esteem those who teach is an instruction found in your Bible. By complying with this instruction, you are showing that you give honor to the Word of God. You cannot say that you honor the Word of God and then decide which commands you will abide. If you refuse a command, you are refusing the one who gave the command. 

            But someone will say, This particular ma nis not as good a pastor some others I have known. He does not preach as well Mr. X, or whatever comparison you may wish to make.

            Now if the concern with the pastor is one of sin; then the Scripture is clear on how to respond. If the concern is the pastor is not truly fit for the work, then perhaps he should find another way in which to serve. But I hope that you had made such a determination before you retained him for the work. 

            But if the concern is merely a matter of preference, what is it that you are truly seeking to do? Is your concern first for the honor of God and good of the Church? Or is you concern rather for your own control, your own taste? Perhaps it is you are wrong in the matter. 

            Moreover, there are many directions which God gives for us to follow in the matter of relationship. And in these directions, God does not specify that you must be personally pleased before you give obedience. 

            You are to honor your parents. Not because they are the best parents, but because they are your parents. 

            You are to honor governors. Not because you have the best governor, but because the governor is the governor.

            Wives are to respect their husbands. Not because they have the best husband, but because he is her husband.

            Husbands are to willing lay down their lives for their wives. Not because they have the best wife, but because she is his wife. 

            You must fulfill these duties because God has told you to do so. You are not given some veto. 

            An old illustration may help you understand this. Let us say I have lent to you one million dollars. You are to pay me back $100 per week. On the first week you come to me with your crisp $100 bill. I tell you to give the bill to so-and-so, who happens to be someone you dislike. 

            You refuse.

            I remind you, that you owe me the money and you must pay it as I direct. You pay the money, not because you owe so-and-so. You pay the money because you owe me. 

            The illustration is imperfect, but it should help. Our Lord has the right to demand of you, even your life. How many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world, throughout the history of the Christian Church have given their liberty or even their lives because they would not refuse to obey Christ? 

            They have been obedient even to death. And yet you think that you should not be troubled to even hold your tongue? Your children must honor you, but you have no duty to esteem the pastor?

            This I trust is sufficient to deal with the most troublesome objections to this passage, but there is one further matter to consider before we move on to the matter of what does it mean to appreciate and show esteem. 

            Ask yourself, Why does it irk me so to be told to honor my governor, honor my spouse—especially when they have not pleased me.

            We must admit that there is rebellion here, a refusal to obey a direct command of God. Nowhere does it say to honor the governor because I think it is a good idea. Nowhere does it say submit to your husband because he is particularly amazing or because he thinks what I think is best. Nowhere are children permitted to cast the vote on honor, nor may husbands refuse to love their wives, even to the point of giving their own lives. 

            Can you see, that this rebellion is because we want to make our own rules. Can’t you hear an echo of the Serpent’s, ye shall be God in the refusal to give honor to whom God says we must?

            But to the actual command in this verse? So far we have seen that the command is binding upon us, but what does the command entail? 

            First there are two sets of commands. One command is to the congregation, and that is clear. But there is a second command implied: this the command which describes the work of the pastor, to work diligently, to keep charge, to teach. We will leave the pastor’s duty to the side.

            What then are the commands to the congregation? Paul gives two commands, first, “appreciate”; second, to highly esteem. We will look at those two commands, and then spend some time figuring how we actually do the work of appreciating and esteeming.

            The command to appreciate comes in verse 12. Look at the beginning of the verse

            But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate ….

If you have another translation than the NASB, you may read, “acknowledge” or “respect” or “honor”. The reason for the differences in the translations is because the original word simply means “to know.” 

            But here the word cannot simply mean to know about the pastor, nor can it mean to simply have acquaintance with the pastor. That is certainly part of the idea, but it does not meet the usage here. 

            Here it means to meet him in the context of a particular relationship. You know this pastor in the context of the work which he does. 

            Let us say Mrs. Smith, you neighbor is a heart surgeon, but you know her as your neighbor. You know that she smiles and waives. You know how she keeps her lawn. You know when she takes out the garbage cans. There is not much in that to esteem her. 

            But then the day comes when your infant child comes near to death. The baby needs heart surgery. In the hospital, it is Mrs. Smith who is now Dr. Smith you operates and saves your child’s life. Before you knew her as your neighbor. Now, you know her as the surgeon who spared you untold sorrow. When you look at her, you look at her now through the prism of his new relationship. 

            Before you had an opinion about how she kept her yard. But now you know her, you respect and acknowledge what she has done for you. Your knowledge of her takes on a new and very special color because you now know her as a doctor. 

            The same is true of your pastor. One time you may have known him only as your neighbor. But now you know him as one who painfully labors to teach you the Word of God. And this is precisely how you are to know him

            In 1 Corinthians 4:1, Paul writes

            Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of mysteries of God.

Such knowledge is precisely how Paul instructs the Thessalonians in his letter. Look down at verse 13

            Esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

It is the work which is the basis and sphere of your knowledge and esteem. 

Driscoll, Domineering, and Qualifications

16 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by in Ecclesiology, Elder, Leadership, Ministry

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Marc Driscoll recently submitted his tenure to review by a board of accountability. That board came back with this finding:

“Pastor Mark has, at times, been guilty of arrogance, responding to conflict with a quick temper and harsh speech, and leading the staff and elders in a domineering manner. While we believe Mark needs to continue to address these areas in his life, we do not believe him to be disqualified from pastoral ministry.”

Mr. Driscoll submitted a letter of recommendation which read in part:

“Specifically, I have confessed to past pride, anger and a domineering spirit. “

He then stated that he was not disqualified from ministry:Prior to and during this process there have been no charges of criminal activity, immorality or heresy, any of which could clearly be grounds for disqualification from pastoral ministry.”

The story and the entire resignation letter can be found here:http://www.worldmag.com/2014/10/mark_driscoll_resigns_as_pastor_of_mars_hill_church

Whatever one thinks of Mr. Driscoll, this statement of both board and himself are troubling. Pride, anger, a domineering spirit are specifically stated to be disqualification from pastoral work:

Paul writes in 1 Timothy 3:1-3: “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.” (ESV)

1 Timothy 3:12, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

Titus 1:7-8,”7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.”

Peter states a pastor must not be domineering (which is precisely what the board found and Driscoll admitted):

1 Peter 5:1–8 (ESV)

5 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: 2 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; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Jesus also explains that the leader must be the most humble, not lording it over others:

Mark 10:41–45 (ESV)

41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 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. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Pride, anger, domineering are not minor errors but lie at the precise center of biblical leadership. Whatever the merits of the affair la Driscoll, I have no idea. But I do know that such men should know better than ignore such a plain directive and find that such things are “not” disqualifications.

How a Pastor Should Understand His Ministry (McCheyne)

12 Friday Sep 2014

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McCheyne was away from his congregation in 1839. He wrote back to a congregant who was not doing well. In this letter, he lays out how a pastor should rightly understand himself.

EDINBURGH, March 14, 1839.

MY DEAR MISS COLLIER,—I feel it very kind your writing to me, and rejoice in sending you a word in answer by my excellent friend Mr Moody. Indeed, I was just going to write to you when I received yours, for I heard you had been rather poorly, and I was going to entreat of you to take care of yourself; for you do not know how much my life is bound up in your life, and in the life of those around you who are like-minded.

The work of a pastor is necessarily one of caring for other human beings. A man who cannot truly love the people in his care, those with whom his “life is bound up” cannot rightly understand his work.

This leads him to the next consideration and warning. The people of the congregation must not confuse their care for their pastor with their love for the true Pastor, the true Shepherd of the entire Church, Jesus Christ:

I feel it quite true that my absence should be regarded by my flock as a mark that God is chastening them; and though I know well that I am but a dim light in the hand of Jesus, yet there is always something terrible where Jesus withdraws the meanest light in such a dark world. I feel that to many this trial has been absolutely needful.

Many liked their minister naturally, who had but little real relish for the message he carried. God now sifts these souls, and wants to show them that it is a looking to Jesus that saves, not a looking to man.

I think I could name many to whom this trial should be blessed. Some also who were really on the true foundation, but were building wood, hay, and stubble upon it, may be brought to see that nothing would truly comfort in the day of the Lord but what can stand the hour of trial You yourself, my dear friend, may be brought to cleave much more simply to the Lord Jesus. You may be made to feel that Christ continueth ever, and hath an unchangeable priesthood; that his work is perfect, and that infinitely; and poor and naked as we are, we can appear only in Him—only in Him.

McCheyne now turns to himself.

But if the trial was needed by my people, it was still more needed by me. None but God knows what an abyss of corruption is in my heart. He knows and covers all in the blood of the Lamb. In faithfulness Thou hast afflicted me.

Here he states the basis for truly successful ministry:

It is perfectly wonderful that ever God could bless such a ministry. And now, when I go over all the faults of it, it appears almost impossible that I can ever preach again. But then I think again, who can preach so well as a sinner—who is forgiven so much, and daily upheld by the Spirit with such a heart within!

Note how the promise of the Gospel points immediately toward the culmination:

I can truly say that the fruit of my long exile has been, that I am come nearer to God, and long more for perfect holiness, and for the world where the people shall be all righteous. I do long to be free from self, from pride, and ungodliness; and I know where to go, “for all the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus.”

Thus, until the culmination, all hope is in Christ:

Christ is my armoury, and I go to Him to get the whole armour of God—the armour of light. My sword and buckler, my arrows, my sling and stone, all are laid up in Jesus.

Here he turns to encourage:

I know you find it so. Evermore grow in this truly practical wisdom. You have a shepherd; you shall never want.

Here he plainly states that the goal of the minister is the glory of God and a realization that it is the work of the Spirit and not the minister:

What effect my long absence may have on the mass of unconverted souls I do not know. I cannot yet see God’s purposes towards them: perhaps it may be judgment, as in the case of Ephesus, Rev. 2:5; perhaps it may be in mercy, as in the case of Laodicea, Rev. 3:19; or perhaps there are some who would not bend under my ministry, who are to flow down as wax before the fire under the ministry of the precious fellow-labourer who is to succeed me.

Here he closes:

William Burns, son of the minister of Kilsyth, has for the present agreed to supply my place; and though there is a proposal of his being sent to Ceylon, I do hope he may be kept for us. He is one truly taught of God—young, but Christ lives in him. You know he comes of a good kind by the flesh.

Another reason of our trial, I hope, has been God’s mercy to Israel. There is something so wonderful about the way in which all difficulties have been overcome, and the way opened up, that I cannot doubt the hand of Jehovah has been in it. This gives me, and should give you, who love Israel, a cheering view of this trial. The Lord meant it for great good. If God be glorified, is not this our utmost desire? Oh, it is sweet, when in prayer we can lay ourselves and all our interests, along with Zion, in the hands of Him whom we feel to be Abba! And if we are thus tied ourselves in the same bundle with Zion, we must resign all right to ourselves, and to our wishes. May the Lord open up a way to his name being widely glorified on the earth even before we die! I know you will pray for us on our way, that our feet may be beautiful on the mountains of Israel, and that we may say to Zion, “Thy God reigneth.” Pray that your poor friend may be supplied out of his riches in glory, that he may not shrink in hours of trial, but endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. I will remember you when far away, and pray God to keep you safe under the shadow of the Redeemer’s wings till I come again in peace, if it be his holy will. Dr Black and Andrew Bonar have both consented to go. I shall probably be sent before to London next week, to open he way. I am not very strong yet; often revisited by my warning friend, to tell me that I may see the New Jerusalem before I see the Jerusalem beneath. However, I have the sentence of death in myself, and do not trust in myself, but in God, who raises the dead.

I saw Mrs Coutts yesterday, in good health, and full of spirit. She almost offered to go with us to Immanuel’s Land. I fear the Pastoral Letters are not worth printing; but I shall ask others what they think. Farewell for the present. The Lord give you all grace and peace.—Your affectionate pastor, etc.

Robert Murray McCheyne and Andrew A. Bonar, Memoir and Remains of the Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne (Edinburgh; London: Oliphant Anderson & Ferrier, 1894), 178–180.

A Teaching Outline of 1 Peter 5:1-4

03 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by in 1 Peter, Elders, Humility, Ministry

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Peter’s instruction to the elders of the churches.

A. An exhortation, v. 1.

1. Peter calls himself a “fellow elder” — even though he is the apostle Peter.

2. His qualifications: (a) he has witnessed the sufferings of Christ; (b) he hopes for glory.

B. The instruction to the elders, vv. 2-4

1. The general rule: Shepherd

a. It is God’s flock, not yours (cf. Acts 20:28).

b. He gives three pairs of contrasts which demonstrate the nature of the work

i. not compulsion, rather willingly

ii. not for gain (extracted from the flock), but eagerly

iii. not domineering (lording over), but rather by providing an example.

2. Look for a reward from Christ. (The elder’s orientation must be toward the return of Christ. 1 Peter 1:13).

C. Application and development

1. The danger for the elder is pride

a. It is God’s flock: implication, don’t think of it as your flock.

b. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd; elders are just undershepherds.

i. Example: One time someone called CBC and spoke to Jack. The caller insisted on speaking to The Pastor. Jack kept saying, “I’m a shepherd. If you want to speak to The Pastor, you’ll need to speak with Jesus.”

ii. Example: Mike P told him of his life as a shepherd growing up in Greece. His father was the shepherd of a flock which he loved and cared for. His father was the shepherd. But to help him in his work he had dogs who also took care of the sheep. The elder is in the end, a dog to help the shepherd.

c. The shepherd is warned to not lord over the flock. It is a butcher who drives the sheep about and demands from them. It is a shepherd who leads the sheep through dangerous places, walking ahead, driving off wolves, finding a place to rest. The example of the shepherd must thus be an example of humility.

2. The elder must shepherd God’s flock through suffering to glory.

a. That has been the theme of this letter.

b. Peter grounds his eldership in his witness of suffering and his hope for glory.

3. The elder must be remarkable for his humility.

a. Note that Peter warns the elder against

i. Thinking of the flock as the elder’s flock. The sheep belong to Jesus.

ii. His three warnings against exercising power over the flock. A three-fold warning means that this must not be overlooked. It also speaks to the constant danger of leadership.

b. 1 Peter 5:5, “all of you” are instructed to humble. Thus, the example of the elder must be in accord with the command.

c. 1 Peter 5:6, there is a universal command to humility.

d. The previous commands of entrusting oneself to God’s design, not taking personal revenge or control, blessing in the face of trials all flow from and require humility.

e. Accordingly, humility — a patient hope for the Lord’s rescue from present trials — is the great strength of elder’s shepherding. Implication: if an elder is not example of humility, then he is a usurper and enemy of the flock.

4. Consider the matter more broadly.

a. Jesus on leadership. Mark 9:33-37; 10:42-45.

b. The elder’s authority is one of instructing in the Scripture. 1 Tim. 1:3-2 Tim.4:2. The elder is a steward of Christ’s authority. 1 Cor. 4:1.

c. The distinguishing mark of an overseer is not merely a godly character, it is in particular, the use of Scripture in instruction. 1 Tim. 3:2 “able to teach”; Titus 1:9.

d. The respect due an elder is dependent wholly upon their example of a godly character & their ability to instruct others in Scripture. Hebrews 13:;7 & 17.

e. Elders who fail to make disciples after Christ [by (a) providing a example of godliness and humility; (b) instructing faithfully in the Scripture] after called savage wolves. They are not blessings but dangers to the flock. Acts 20:29-31a. Note that merely holding an office does not mean the man is rightly an elder. (See, e.g., Hosea 8:4a, “they made kings, but not through me”.) You are nowhere commanded to be subject to ungodly men. Consider the example of a wife’s submission. The husband has no plenary control of a wife, but only a charge to care for her. A wife is to submit only “as is fitting in the Lord” (Col. 4:18).

f. The OT example of the priest. The priest had the duty of instructing the people in God’s law. Leviticus 10:11. In Hosea 4:4-6 & Malachi 2:1-9 God condemns priests for failing to provide instruction to the people. See, ESV study Bible notes on Hosea 4: The priests had the responsibility of teaching the people God’s laws (cf. Lev. 10:11; Mal. 2:6–7), but they had failed miserably, and as a result, the people lacked knowledge of God’s laws and his ways. Therefore God says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. But he puts the blame squarely on the priests: because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. On “knowledge,” see notes on Hos. 2:8 and 4:1–2. The statements have the air of a judicial decision and sentence. The kind of knowledge the priests had rejected is further specified: since you have forgotten the law of your God. The consequences of this neglect of God’s Word would be seen in the lives of what was most precious to the priests: I also will forget your children (cf. 2:4). The future tense still may indicate a warning, hinting that repentance might avert this judgment. But the great privilege of knowing God was in danger of being forfeited, even for the next generation.

g. There is a special warning for those who are teachers. James 3:1

God’s Flock and Its Shepherds

25 Tuesday Feb 2014

Posted by in 1 Peter, F.B. Meyer, Ministry, Preaching

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Outline of F.B. Meyer’s sermon on 1 Peter 5:1-4, “God’s Flock and Its Shepherds”:

God’s Flock and Its Shepherds

1 Peter 5:1-4

The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according unto God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd shall be manifested, ye shall receive the crown of glory that fadeth not away.

 

First, there is only flock, however many may be the folds:

Wherever God’s people gathered, there was part of his flock. The flock itself was scattered throughout the whole world, and according to our Master’s prayer was one, even as it is to-day. For though there are many folds, there is but one flock (John 10:16)

Though some of the sheep are being led by the living fountains of waters beyond the river ; and others are treading the stony defiles of this side — yet it is the same flock, bought at the same time, marked with the same initials, belonging to the same Owner. And wherever any believers gather, there is a portion of the one flock, and its officers, teachers, and spiritual guides are just shepherds, pastors.

 

184-185.

Suffering qualifies one as a shepherd in this flock:

This is the one qualification for tending the flock of God: not to have received a learned education ; not to be able to talk glibly or eloquently of spiritual things ; not to have been in the imaginary line of apostolic succession— a man may lay claim to all these things, and yet not be competent to feed the flock of God. We must behold, each for himself, the sufferings of Christ, not necessarily with the eye of the flesh, but with the eye of the soul; not with the curious glance of the fickle crowd, but with the fixed loving gaze, which finds in them cleansing for sins and balm for wounds.

 

And to see those sufferings is not only a qualification for shepherdship, but for glory. As surely as a man beholds those sufferings sympathetically and believingly, so surely shall he behold the glory yet to be revealed. The one is the prelude to the other. No cross, no crown. But where there is the true cross, crown there must be. It may seem to tarry long. The heart may turn sick at the long delay. But that glory which shines now and again as we climb the Transfiguration Mount shall ere long make a perpetual heaven for us when it is revealed.

185-186.

The Shepherd’s Care:

The shepherd must feed the flock:

It is not enough to preach to the flock once or twice each week. There must be personal supervision; watching for souls as by those who must give account ; seeking them if they go astray; tracking them to the precipice down which they have fallen; and never resting till the straying sheep is brought again to the fold. All this is included in the word; and we need to do all. This if we are to tend the flock of God.

186.

The work must be done from Spirit-wrought love:

There must be the love which is akin to the love of the Chief Shepherd Himself. A love which can endure without return or thanks; which can grow where there is scarcely any soil; and which clings to the least lovely and thankful. That love is only shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

186-187.

For the work, the shepherd will give an account to The Shepherd:

The sphere and people of our ministry should be taken straight from the hands of the Chief Shepherd. We are only accountable to Him. Our work must be done to please Him, and at his direction. We must consult Him about all our plans. We must take his directions as to what part of the green pastures our portion of the flock is to be led into, and by what waters it shall rest. If anything goes wrong we must consider that it should be instantly reported to Him, as the fret and care and burden of direction must certainly be his. If we make mistakes, and the flock suffer through our ignorance, the brunt of the loss must fall on Him. There is no one so interested in the pastor’s charge as the Chief Pastor is. He shares all the anxieties, hardships, watchings, and perils of the work. Not to please the flock, not to attract the applause of men, not to gain name and fame, but to do the will of the Chief Shepherd, must be the aim of each true servant of Christ.

187.

What if the local shepherd fails, will the sheep be lost?

Surely, in this conception of the Chief Shepherd there is comfort for those who constitute the flock. When the under-shepherd fails, the Chief Shepherd may be expected to step in to supply his vacated place, or to do his neglected work. Do not grumble to man, but take your complaints to headquarters. And if He does not replace the worthless under-shepherd by another. He will undertake the office of caring for you with his own hands ; and you shall cry, ” The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” He will see the work done, or do it Himself.

188.

 

 

 

Why Johnny Can’t Lead

23 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by in 1 Corinthians, Discipleship, Elders, Leadership, Ministry

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These are draft notes for a sermon at a men’s breakfast at Calvary Bible Church in Burbank, CA. My assigned title was “Johnny Can’t Lead.”

          A leader is one who moves others to action. One type of leader looks like the man driving sled pulled by dogs. He stands at the back, holds onto the sled and drives the dogs on.  Another type of leader looks like a shepherd who walks before the sheep, leading them through dry and dangerous land, protecting them and caring for them when they stop.

          To race sled dogs through Alaska is crazy brave and difficult work. It is good and right lead dogs from a sled. But if you are looking to lead a family or congregation, the sled-driver presents the wrong picture. To merely note the obvious, People are not dogs.

          To lead a family, to lead a small group, to lead congregation requires very different skills.  The Christian leader, the spiritual leader must be one who leads like a shepherd.

          There is a third type of leader: one who doesn’t lead at all. He may have the position. He may a leader’s title, but he is not leader. He occupies space. He may like to be called “leader”. He may take some of the perceived benefits of leadership, but he is no leader. He occasionally make the demands of a sled dog racer, but he has not led. He may try to manipulate and plead and whine and ask to be protected, but he is no leader.

          I have seen all three types of men in work, in families, in churches.  I have known elders and pastors who are tyrants and bullies. I have known elders and pastors who were weak and ineffective. Those are both easy marks to hit. There are far fewer who actually lead in a godly manner.

          Now no man, aside from Christ, has ever consistently led as a true undershepherd. Moses became angry and struck the rock. David became lazy and self-centered and took another man’s wife.  Solomon wallowed in luxury only to wallow in idolatry. 

          Some men began well but ended poorly such as Joash, King of Judah. 2 Chronicles 24:2 tells us that “Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoida the priest.” Yet, after Jehoida died, Joash listened to “the princes of Judah” (2 Chronicles 24:17). Then Joash fell into idolatry.

          Other men never used their leadership well.  Solomon’s son Rehoboam was so foolish that he lost ten of the 12 tribes in a single day. Other men such as Jeroboam used their leadership to plunge an entire people into idolatry. Jeroboam raised golden calves at Bethel and Dan  (1 Kings 213:25-33). He for centuries corrupted the worship of Israel.

          And some men grew in leadership over time. Peter was a natural leader in many ways, but foolish and impetuous. He failed miserably on the night of Christ’s betrayal. But shortly thereafter, the Spirit worked upon Peter’s natural gifts and Peter became a leader of the Church. Later we see James as perhaps the most important leader in the early church. James who had some time before had rejected Christ. And, of course, we may look to the Apostle Paul as great leader: a man who turned from a persecutor of the church to perhaps the greatest evangelist ever.

What I mean by “leadership.”

          A leader is not defined by a title: plenty of men have the title but lack the ability. Even if you have the title of a leader and the responsibility of a leader, you may still not be a leader.  Thus, leadership is not a title.

          One is not a leader if no one follows. By definition a leader leads others. If you look behind you and no one follows you are not leading.

          Now here is a more subtle matter for the Christian. Most of know Jesus’ admonition to the disciples:

42 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. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. Mark 10:42–44 (ESV)

Thus, while leadership requires the work of a servant, we must not conclude that a servant is necessarily a leader. John MacArthur explains:

So while it is certainly true that leadership demands a servant’s heart, it is by no means the case that everyone with a servant’s heart is thereby a leader. There’s far more to leadership than that.[1]

A leader is one who leads, one who influences others to follow after him. 

          Think of Jesus.  John 1:37 records the first instance of the disciples of Jesus.  The text says when they knew who he was, “they followed Jesus.”  Jesus was such a powerful leader, that the first men who followed him ran brought others to see Jesus and follow him.  In John 11, Thomas called the other disciples after Jesus, “Let us also go that we may die with him” (John 11:16).  Jesus was a leader because others followed him.

Our Leadership Derives from Jesus’ Leadership

          The Christian leader, the godly husband, the Sunday school teacher, the small group leader, the pastor all have a single job – not to gain followers for themselves. We are permitted only to lead others after Christ.

          I want to prove that point from a few texts. First, turn to Matthew 28 and we will take a look at the Great Commission. Here we find the marching orders for the church. Beginning in verse 18 we read:

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV)

          First observation: Look at the middle of verse 18: “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.” There we see that God has delegated all authority to the Incarnate, Glorified Son. Jesus has all authority. That means that any exercise of authority which is contrary to Jesus is rebellion against the King.

          Second observation: Jesus has given a command that we are make disciples who follow after Jesus. A disciple is one who learns, imitates, and follows a master. We have been given a task to make disciples, that is, to train others to follow Jesus. Look at the end of verse 19:

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

Jesus has all authority. He has given a command to teach others to follow him. There is our responsibility.

Next text. Turn to Colossians 3:18:

18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Colossians 3:18 (ESV)

The wife is not obligated to submit to her husband in everything. The wife’s responsibility extends only to the boundaries established by Christ. The wife is not to ultimately follow her husband. Her true allegiance is to Jesus. We could look to Ephesians 5:25-27 where Paul shows that the husband is to lead his wife to Christ. The marriage is thus a discipleship relationship.

          Now, look at Ephesians 6:4:

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 (ESV)

That language sounds an echo of the command of Jesus in Matthew 28. Fathers teach your children to follow Christ.

          So there is a leadership of a father and husband: every father and every husband has the responsibility of leadership. That doesn’t make a you leader, it just means that he has the responsibility for leadership in his home. But what is the shape of that leadership? It is a matter of discipleship. You have the job to teach your wife and children to follow Jesus. You do this by means of instruction and by means of example.

          Let us look to the contrary element: those who use leadership to damage. Turn to Acts 20:28. In this text, Paul is addressing some number of elders from the Ephesian church. He warns them as follows:

28 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. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Acts 20:28–30 (ESV)

Paul warns the elders to protect the flock which belongs to Jesus. He warns that men will come into the congregation. He calls these men “fierce wolves” or savage wolves.  The mark of these men will be that they “draw away the disciples after them.”

          The primary point of this passage is to warn the elders to watch out for false teachers. However, there is a secondary application. Any man who leads another person in any direction other than after Jesus is a man who is peeling a lamb off from the flock. You may not be starting a cult, but you may be drawing your wife and children away from Christ. I don’t want to make more of the text than warranted; but I do not want to even imitate the damage of the false teacher.

          One more text to make this abundantly clear. Turn to 1 Corinthians 11:1; we will begin reading in 1 Corinthians 10:31 to gain some context:

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

11 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1 (ESV)

Look there at the end: Paul calls for the Corinthians to follow him, because he is following Christ. If you want to be a true godly, spiritual leader; then you must understand that your job is to follow Christ and lead others to do the same.

The Conviction of a Leader

          Albert Mohler in his book The Conviction to Lead explains that Christian leadership derives from the leader’s conviction. The leader is taken by convictions and then transmits those convictions to others.

          I want to let Mohler unpack the idea a bit and then I want to show this to you the passage we have seen in 1 Corinthians. Dr. Mohler explains:

The command to believe is central to the Bible. Christianity is founded upon certain nonnegotiable truths, and these truths, once known, are translated into beliefs. The beliefs that anchor our faith are those to which we are passionately and personally committed, and these are our convictions….Put simply, a conviction is a belief of which we are thoroughly convinced. …we are convinced this truth is essential and life changing. We live out of this truth and are willing to die for it. (22).

The Christian story becomes the bedrock and basis of our understanding about the world. He continues:

But we do know these things, and these most powerful of all truths take possession of us and begin to rule in our thinking. While this is true of all Christians, the full strength of conviction is what sets the Christian leader apart. These convictions are the very essence of Christian leadership, and it has always been this way. 23

He then gives us an example of leadership:

Justin Martyr, one of the leaders of the early church, also serves as a portrait of convictional leadership. Leading members of his own congregation to their mutual execution at the hands of the Roman authorities, Justin encouraged his people with these words, written to the Roman emperor Antonius Pius: “You can kill us, but you cannot harm us.”

That is authentic leadership in its clearest form—the willingness of people to die for their beliefs, know that Christ will vindicate them and given them the gift of eternal life….We know these things to be so true that we are willing to live for them, lead for them and if necessary to die for them. 23-24.

Justin Martyr knew for such a certainty that the story of Christ was true that he gave his own life for the story. He held the story with such great confidence, that he lead others to follow him to martyrdom. You see both his service and his leading. I know few leaders who could lead with such confidence and surety that others would be emboldened to stand in the face of death.

          Let me give you another example from the life of John Bunyan. Bunyan knew that he faced arrest for preaching without a license. He knew that men had come to arrest him on a particular day at a particular meeting. He was warned not to enter into the house lest he be arrested.  Here is how Edmund Venables describes the scene in his biography of Bunyan:

The time fixed for the service not being yet come, Bunyan went into the meadow by the house, and pacing up and down thought the question well out. [Bunyan explained:]

“If he who had up to this time showed himself hearty and courageous in his preaching, and had made it his business to encourage others, were now to run and make an escape, it would be of an ill savour in the country. If he were now to flee because there was a warrant out for him, would not the weak and newly-converted brethren be afraid to stand when great words only were spoken to them. God had, in His mercy, chosen him to go on the forlorn hope; to be the first to be opposed for the gospel; what a discouragement it must be to the whole body if he were to fly. No, he would never by any cowardliness of his give occasion to the enemy to blaspheme the gospel.”

So back to the house he came with his mind made up. He had come to hold the meeting, and hold the meeting he would. He was not conscious of saying or doing any evil. If he had to suffer it was the Lord’s will, and he was prepared for it. He had a full hour before him to escape if he had been so minded, but he was resolved “not to go away.” He calmly waited for the time fixed for the brethren to assemble, and then, without hurry or any show of alarm, he opened the meeting in the usual manner, with prayer for God’s blessing. He had given out his text, the brethren had just opened their Bibles and Bunyan was beginning to preach, when the arrival of the constable with the warrant put an end to the exercise. Bunyan requested to be allowed to say a few parting words of encouragement to the terrified flock. This was granted, and he comforted the little company with the reflection that it was a mercy to suffer in so good a cause; and that it was better to be the persecuted than the persecutors; better to suffer as Christians than as thieves or murderers. The constable and the justice’s servant soon growing weary of listening to Bunyan’s exhortations, interrupted him and “would not be quiet till they had him away” from the house.

I could give you example after example of such leadership, for the history of the Christian church is the history of many such leaders.

          What then drives such convictional leadership? Look again at the text from 1 Corinthians 10:

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

Paul was taken by an idea; Paul had a conviction: do all to the glory of God. That idea drove Paul’s  conduct. Look again at verse 33:

just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved

He works for the purpose that God be glorified so that others may be saved.  That act of justification is the first step in the process of discipleship. We proclaim the Gospel. It is heard, believed and the one who believes receives the grace of God. Thus, begins the work of discipleship.

Next see that Paul’s convictions lead him to service:

not seeking my own advantage

It’s there in the middle of verse 33. Paul does not seek his personal advantage, he seeks the good of others. And that good is to give glory to God.  Paul, having explained how he seeks to lead unbelievers – by leading them to Christ – now turns to the Corinthians believers and tells them to likewise follow him as he follows Christ:

11 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 (ESV)

You see here that leadership is an act of deliberate discipleship. Such leadership derives from a deeply held conviction of the truth and power of the Gospel:

Convictional leaders propel action precisely because they are driven by deep convictions, and their passion for these convictions is transferred to followers who join in concerted action to do what they know to be right. Mohler, 26.

 

The Church Needs Leaders

          Leadership in some ways is not negotiable. Every Christian has some sphere in which they must lead. Every mother must lead her children. Every father and husband must lead his family. We may abdicate our responsibility; we may lead poorly. But we all must in some manner.

          As you have seen the proclamation of the Gospel to an unbeliever is an act of leadership. In Spiritual Leadership, J. Oswald Sanders sets out the picture of leadership as follows:

True greatness, true leadership is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you. True service is never without cost. Often it domes with a painful baptism of suffering. But the true spiritual leader is focused on the service he and she can render to God and other people, not on the residuals and perks of high office or holy title. We must aim to put more into life than we take out. (15)

Although true spiritual leaders are true, they are necessary for the good of the church:

Churches grow in every way when they are guided by strong, spiritual leaders with the touch of the supernatural radiating in their service. The church sinks into confusion and malaise without such leadership. 18

          When one considers the Christian church broadly, it is plain that the church has few leaders who are so taken by the conviction of the Gospel that they draw others along behind them toward Christ. There are plenty of men and women who do something—often something good, but to call them leaders would be to overstate the case. When you hold up their example to men such as Justin Martyr or John Bunyan you can’t imagine them as men who could lead you into prison or death.

          Before you point to hard at church leaders, look to your own homes. Would your children or wife trust you to lead them anywhere?

          And, if our families will follow some distance, or perhaps some in the church will follow us a bit, we soon find that they wander off and do follow us further.  Sanders explains the problem:

We can lead others only as far along the road as we ourselves have traveled (28).

Too many Churches are led by men who cannot lead. They may have activity and noise and money and attendance and festivities and activities, but they are not going somewhere.  True leadership leads to a sight of Christ.

What Shall We Do?

          There is a great deal which I have not discussed. I have not discussed the mechanics of leadership. I have not spoken about how to lead.  I have only told you a bit about what a leader is: A godly leader is a man who follows Christ and brings us to follow along, too.

          Here is what I can do for you.  I can encourage you to follow hard after Christ. You do this first by knowing the Scripture:

Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path.  Psalm 119:105.

 

          You can do no following until you get your feet on the path. You do this by reading, studying, meditating.  You turn your knowledge in prayer and desires. Your turn your prayer into action, into obedience.  You must first have a heart which is fired by a passion and sight of the glory of God in Jesus Christ. That passion then spills out. Christians are built to desire to see Christ and follow Christ. Christians want to follow a man who radiates Christ and who can lead us to see Christ, also.

          When you look at Acts 4:42-47, you see the picture of a church on fire, a church with fellowship, worship, praise, study, evangelism. How did that happen? The apostles taught the people with such clarity that the Christ was brilliant among them. The Holy Spirit used the words to transform the hearts of those who heard. And here was the key, the people of the Church had a sense of awe.

Conclusion

          Christian leadership first takes place in the leader’s heart. He has a sight of Christ, a sense of awe before the wonder of the King. He translates that to others and shows them the way. The Holy Spirit will use and improve the natural gifts of a man to make a better and more effective leader, but in the end it is not the man’s ability alone. The Spirit uses the man’s abilities, but those abilities are raised and transformed and submitted to the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

          The true Christian leader spends himself willingly for others, because he sees Christ so brilliantly before him.

          Think of it: Hebrews 2:10 calls Jesus the “one who goes first”. Jesus is the pioneer, the author, the founder: Jesus has cut a path through this world that runs through death and to a kingdom of light and love and eternal life. Jesus has led us out of this present evil age. 

          There is a path through this world, but this way is often difficult to see. More than that, the path is dangerous. David called it the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  There are thieves and lions lurking along the way. There are wolves and traps which may end us at every moment.

          But God in his grace and mercy has appointed that there should be guides, leaders to help the people along the way.  When we fail to lead in the space which God has appointed to us, we have left the people vulnerable. We have all been called to protect someone, but we too often fail to do so.

          When Christ comes to see our families, our groups, our congregation will he see safe and glorious sheep, or will his view be more that seen by the Savior as recorded in Matthew 9:36

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36 (ESV)

[1] Called to Lead, paperback, vi.

Far Beyond a Bare Sufficiency

22 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Charles Bridges, Preaching

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(The previous post in this series may be found here: https://memoirandremains.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/encouragements-of-the-christian-ministry-bridges-1/)

The pastor of a congregation can hinder and even hurt his congregation by too small a store from which to feed the people. A fault all too common in many congregations is that the preacher is a man who knows how to point people to do the entrance of the Lord’s pasture; but, he cannot lead in his Master’s ways after they come to the pasture:

Yet the Scripture, in its comprehensive extent, is given for a variety of important purposes, and for this express intent; “that the man,” or the Minister, “of God” (who seems to be chiefly meant) “might be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” The solid establishment of the people may be materially hindered by the minister’s contracted statement, confined interpretations, or misdirected application of Scripture. His furniture for his work must therefore include a store of knowledge far beyond a bare sufficiency for personal salvation. “The priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for He is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts.” He must be the ” householder—instructed unto the kingdom of heaven — which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”

Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry. Such men can be recognized both from the content of their sermons and life of the congregation.

In terms of teaching, such men have a bag of Christian propositions which they have gathered. They read the text, pick out a word which has some correlation to their bag of propositions and then batter the text in a shotgun wedding to the proposition.

A second sort, more sophisticated, if you will; but no more helpful than the first have gathered a bag of “points” from a commentary or two — perhaps from another’s sermons. They spill these points out onto the table and call it a sermon. I heard Paul Tripp recently warn “preachers” against trying to pass such a mess off as a sermon. He used the illustration of ingredients and a meal. You would not think well of a host who gave you a stick of butter, a spoonful of salt and a pile of cornmeal — but you would be pleased with a piece of cornbread.

Both sorts of men wound the congregation by passing off their sermons as the pure spiritual milk (1 Peter 2:2) when it reality then are feeding them more on the illusion than the substance. The first sort of sermons are pure junkfood. The second sort of sermons are those junk food snacks which are packaged as “healthy” but when you read the label you realize your “health chips” are as useless as “junk chips”.

You see the effects of such sermons on the people: few show any spiritual growth — and they don’t know better. Those who perhaps have grown further find themselves looking to other pastures for food.

What then is the remedy for such poor shepherds? Bridges explains that a helpful minister will known the Scripture, will know human beings, and will know how the Scripture helpfully and truly intersects with the human heart. This will first require the pastor to have been transformed by the text he will teach. He must study, meditate and pray over his text until he is deeply worked up by the Word and Spirit. Thereafter, he must consider carefully how this would do good to others.

The preacher must not only know human beings as a whole, but he must know the particular persons in his own congregation. He must fit his text to all the persons who will hear his sermon. I recall my professors showing how Shakespeare matched his plays for the groundlings and the Cambridge graduates who came to the same play.

Thus, as “Stewards of the mysteries, and rulers over the household,” of God, we distribute the stores of provision to every member of the household, suited to their several wants, and answering to their Master’s wise and gracious will. Thus we take account of their individual state—the strength and exercise of their spiritual capacities—the kind of food, which they severally require for the nourishment of the Divine life, according to their infantine, growing, or adult state—their special hindrances or advantages—their advance, apparently stationary condition, or visible decay in the ways of God. The treatment of these several individualities demands a deep and well-digested acquaintance with the methods of Divine grace, in order to administer a seasonable and effective distribution of the word.

Now if my professors from 30 years past and Shakespeare from hundreds can still teach and charm me, shouldn’t a pastor who claims to unfold the oracles of the true God be willing and able to affect me far more profoundly?

The Need for Mercy: Ecclesiastes 7:20

23 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by in Charles Bridges, Ecclesiastes, Humility, Ministry, Uncategorized

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Ecclesiastes 7:20:

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

‘

I cannot pray’—is the oft-quoted confession of Bp. Beveridge—‘but I sin. I cannot hear or give an alms, or receive the sacrament, but I sin. I cannot so much as confess my sins, but my very confessions are still aggravations of them. My repentance needs to be repented of; my tears want washing; and the very washing of my tears needs still to be washed over again with the blood of my Redeemer!.’

Child of God! is there no response from your heart? Does not every defect in your fellow-sinner read a fresh lesson of your own helplessness? Can you anticipate the time on earth, when, “if you say that you have no sin, you” will not “deceive yourself?” (1 John, 1:8.) “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” (Ps. 130:3.) Only he, whose eye is upon the High Priest “bearing the iniquities of the holy things.” (Exod. 28:38. Comp. Rev. 8:3, 4.) There is no peace—no security—against deeper sin, but an instant and continued application to him. ‘Always a sinner’—is the Christian’s name to the end, and therefore with godly Nehemiah we will combine with the consciousness of sincerity the cry for sparing mercy (Chap. 13:22)—with the reverend Hooker in deep prostration we will ‘plead—not our righteousness, but the forgiveness of our unrighteousness.’ With holy Leighton—‘instead of all fine notions, we fly to—Lord, have mercy on me—Christ, have mercy on me.’ The publican’s prayer will suit to the very last breath—nothing better—contrition for sin—confidence in the propitiation.

Charles Bridges, Ecclesiastes.

If anyone must know this truth, it is must be a pastor. No man can care for others if does not know as a bitter matter his own weakness. He must know more than others the need for mercy. Only humility will sue for mercy. A pastor must be one who leads others to seek grace, to seek mercy; thus, he must be humble. It is the High Priest how knows weakness and yet brings mercy (Hebrews 2:17; 4:15-16). The undershepherd’s task is to merely bring others to the Lord — only a man who knows the need for mercy will be not cease until he brings others to seek mercy.

4. Establish limping leaders

From elders on down, don’t establish any leader who has no record of or reputation for humility. You will want to know if the leader has ever been broken, ever had his legs knocked out from under him. Don’t establish leaders who don’t walk with limps, because they often have no empathy for the broken, the hurting, the abused, or the penitent. Don’t empower any leader who has not confronted and wrestled with his own sin, who doesn’t demonstrate an ongoing humility about his sin and a grief over it. Leaders who do not personally know the scandal of grace set a climate in a church of gracelessness.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/gospeldrivenchurch/2013/03/07/cultivating-a-gracious-climate-in-your-church/

Here is a strand of Paul’s warning: (1) to watch yourself: there is no protection but in humility; (2) a man without humility will not lead others to seek mercy — and thus, he will leads others after himself:

28 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.
29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

Acts 20:28-30

The Advice of McCheyne to a Pastor

02 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by in Ministry, Robert Murray M'Cheyne

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McCheyne wrote this to the Rev. W.C. Burns, on his agreeing to undertake the charge of St Peter’s, during Mr M‘C.’s absence in Palestine

EDINBURGH Hill Street, March 22, 183

Take heed to thyself. Your own soul is your first and greatest care. You know a sound body alone can work with power; much more a healthy soul. Keep a clear conscience through the blood of the Lamb. Keep up close communion with God. Study likeness to Him in all things. Read the Bible for your own growth first, then for your people. Expound much; it is through the truth that souls are to be sanctified, not through essays upon the truth. Be easy of access, apt to teach, and the Lord teach you and bless you in all you do and say. You will not find many companions. Be the more with God. My dear people are anxiously waiting for you. The prayerful are praying for you. Be of good courage; there remaineth much of the land to be possessed. Be not dismayed, for Christ shall be with thee to deliver thee. Study Isaiah 6, and Jer. 1, and the sending of Moses, and Ps. 51:12, 13, and John 15:26, 27, and the connection in Luke 1:15, 16.

Robert Murray McCheyne and Andrew A. Bonar, Memoir and Remains of the Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne (Edinburgh; London: Oliphant Anderson & Ferrier, 1894), 180.