TEXT: I Peter 5:1-4

SUBJECT: An Ordination Sermon

The ordination of an elder is a solemn task. In the early church, it was never performed without much prayer and fasting. The duties our brother will take up today are beyond his abilities. In performing them, however, he will find the promise fulfilled: "My grace is sufficient for you". And "in (his) weakness, the Lord's strength will be made perfect".

How do I charge a man for the pastorate? Should I pass along lessons I have learned over the past twelve years? They might prove useful. Experience is a good teacher. But the Word of God is better. Thus, I hope to briefly expound the verses before us. They were written, of course, by Peter, a close friend and Apostle of Jesus Christ. But he doesn't refer to himself as such in this place. He calls himself "a fellow-elder". He feels a kinship with ordinary elders. His office is higher than ours--but his basic work is the same. Today, our brother is entering into Peter's work.

In vv.2-4, we find the elder's work, his method, and his reward. God give us understanding, for Christ's sake. Amen.

THE ELDER'S FUNCTION

"Shepherd the flock of God..." The word, "shepherd" means just that: Do the work of a shepherd". What is it? In Psalm 23, we find Him providing rest, water, food, medicine, leadership, protection, and comfort. A shepherd takes care of his sheep. This--in short--is the elder's duty: to care for his church.

But what is the church? Many think of it as an organization or an institution. In this scheme, the elder is reduced to administrative work. He becomes preoccupied with membership, finances, and programs. If "the numbers are up" all is well. But the church is not primarily an organization; it is the people of God. The elder, therefore, must be passionately concerned with his people. With all of his people. "The flock of God" is a collective term--all of the sheep are included. But more than all of his people--every one of them! In His classic, Reformed Pastor, Richard Baxter argues:

But we have an authority higher than Baxter. The Holy Spirit tells us how Paul "shepherded the flock of God". In Acts 20:20 we find this man--a bi-vocational pastor--"teaching publicly and from house to house". He shepherded both the church and its every member. NOTE: "Every member" includes your wife.

This shepherding will require something of the elder: Oversight. "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers..." The elder must know his people; he must know them well. He must know their sorrows; he must know their joys. He must know their gifts; he must know their deficiencies. These cannot be learned in the public meetings alone. He must be in their homes; they must be in his. Therefore, he must be accessible and "given to hospitality".

The word to ordinary shepherds apply to spiritual ones even more: "Be diligent to know the state of your flocks. And attend to your herds".

This is the elder's function: "Shepherd the flock of God".

THE ELDER'S METHOD

The elder's duty is clear. But how is he to do it? Peter provides the method in three couplets. He must "shepherd the flock of God...

"Not by constraint, but willingly". Some have taken the word "constraint" or "compulsion" to mean: a man mustn't be forced into the pastoral office. This is true, of course. But not the meaning here. Rather it implies that the elder mustn't be reluctant in his work; he mustn't do it as a hard and bitter necessity. It must be done "willingly". He must find joy in his work and do it with a sacred enthusiasm. "God loves a cheerful giver".

"Not for dishonest gain, but eagerly". The elder mustn't be in it for the money--or for other personal rewards. The pastorate is not designed to boost a man's self-esteem. He's to be in it because--as the NIV puts it--he is "eager to serve". Like the Son of God, the elder comes "not to be served, but to serve". This is his goal: not self-promotion, but the welfare of God's people. William C. Brownson observed "It makes a great deal of difference whether a man has the spirit of a hireling or the heart of a shepherd".

"Not as being a lord over those entrusted to you, but by being an example to the flock". The elder leads his church--not by the authority of his office, but by the holiness of his life. He mustn't be a bully; he mustn't be a politician. He must be "an example". The elder must be able to say (without blushing) "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ". Keep this in mind: the best teaching will not sanctify a bad life, but a bad life will discredit the best teaching.

The elder must "shepherd the flock of God". He must do it "not by constraint but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but with eagerness to serve, not as being a lord over those entrusted to you, but by being an example to the flock".

THE ELDER'S REWARD

"And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away".

The elder's work is often thankless. Paul, the most learned of men, was called "a babbler". Paul, the most loving of men was not loved in return. Paul, the most generous of men, was not paid for his work. Paul, the most loyal of men, found, "no man standing with him, but all men forsaking him".

But the elder's work is "not in vain". When the whole flock of God is gathered to Christ, the faithful "under-shepherds" will be richly rewarded for their efforts. If the Lord Jesus loves His sheep, He must also love the men who take care of them. "Well done, you good and faithful servant".

The elder must serve God's people now, but not for now. He serves them with an eye fixed on eternity. "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us".

CHARGE

Whatever the elder's assignment may be, he has but one goal: to bring his people to heaven. Brother...do it. Make these people "in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His appearing...your hope, your joy, your crown of rejoicing".

May God "supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus". Amen.