A Shepherd's Heart
All elders are shepherds, but not all shepherds are elders. God has called us to care well for those He has entrusted to us for a time. Peter details how to care like Christ has cared for us. May the new year be one in which we grow in our love for those around us.
A Shepherd's Heart
Message Notes
John 10:11 (NLT)
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.”
1 Peter 5:1-4 (NLT)
1 And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: 2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. 4 And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.
Receive a call from God
1 Peter 5:1 (NLT)
And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you:
Recognize the cost
1 Peter 5:2a (NLT)
Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—
Ready to serve
1 Peter 2b (NLT)
not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.
Realistic about deceitful motives
1 Peter 5:3 (NLT)
Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.
Mark 10:42-45 (NLT)
42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Real relationship with the Lord
Relying on the God who sees
1 Peter 5:4 (NLT)
And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.