Shepherd Well
Acts 20:25-38
In his book, “They Smell Like Sheep,” Dr. Lynn Anderson relates an event that happened when he was in Palestine on a Holy Land tour with his wife. He said as the bus stopped alongside the road and looked into the countryside where many sheep were gathered, the tour guide began to give a heart-warming portrayal of the ancient shepherd/sheep relationship. He expounded on how the shepherd builds a relationship with his sheep—how he feeds them and cares for them. He pointed out that the shepherd doesn’t drive the sheep but leads them, and that the shepherd does not need to be harsh with them, because they hear his voice and follow.
He then explained how on a previous tour things had backfired. In the midst of spinning his pastoral tale, he suddenly realized he had lost his audience. They were all staring out the bus window at a guy chasing a ‘herd’ of sheep. He was throwing rocks at them, whacking them with sticks, and siccing the sheep dog on them. The sheep-driving man in the field had torpedoed the guide’s enchanting story. He jumped off the bus, ran into the field, and accosted the man, ‘Do you understand what you have just done to me?’ he asked. ‘I was spinning a charming story about the gentle ways of shepherds, and here you are mistreating and assaulting these sheep! What is going on?’ The man responded, ‘You’ve got me all wrong. I’m not a shepherd. I’m a butcher’”
The point is most of us are not very familiar with the practices of shepherds and the characteristics of sheep. But the Bible repeatedly uses the metaphor of sheep and shepherds to describe spiritual relationships in the kingdom of God.
In probably the most famous of all the Psalms, Psalm 23, David describes the Creator of the universe as a caring shepherd, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm 23:1
Later in Psalm 100 he describes God’s people as sheep: Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3
The prophet Isaiah describes the sinfulness of every human being in terms of wandering sheep: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6
In one of the 7 “I Am” statements of Jesus he profoundly proclaimed, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11
Matthew describes Jesus’ compassion for the lost using this metaphor as well: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36
That’s just a small sampling of the many, many Bible passages that utilize the sheep/shepherd metaphor to describe the relationship between God and his children. But the Bible also uses this metaphor to describe another relationship in the kingdom of God, and that is the relationship that exists between church elders and a congregation. In fact notice how Peter instructs church elders in 1 Peter 5: So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder… shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight. 1 Peter 5:1-2
Peter instructs the elders of the church to shepherd the flock. Who is the flock? The church, the congregation. And who is charged with the responsibility of shepherding that flock? The elders in that church.
Well in our ongoing series through the book of Acts we find ourselves in Acts 20. And in this section of Luke’s historical chronicle of the early church we find the apostle Paul on the shores of the beach in Miletus. He has called for the elders of the church in Ephesus, 14 miles away, to join him on that beach. When they arrive he gives them some parting words of instruction as they lead the congregation God has put under their care.
Last week we looked at the first half of the message he gave to them, and in that section Paul put himself forward as an example for them. He looked back at how he lived among them, and reminded them how he ministered to them. And then he looked ahead and described the confidence with which he was approaching the future; a future that would include attacks, assaults and imprisonments. He was in effect saying what he said to the church in Corinth, follow my example as I follow Christ.
Today as we get to the second half of this speech on the beach, Paul is going to give some specific instructions for them to follow. And these instructions all fall under the heading, shepherd well. Just as Peter instructed church elders by using the metaphor of a shepherd and flock; so too Paul grabs that same illustrative tool to instruct the elders of the church in Ephesus. And Paul tells these elders of the church in Ephesus to Shepherd Well. Let's read Acts 20:25-38: 25And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28Pay 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.
29I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
33I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 34You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.
Now some of you may be thinking, “Well this message sounds like it’s specifically for elders. I’m not an elder, therefore this message does not apply to me.” There’s a few responses I’d give to that thought –
• First, if you’re not an elder, and you’re a member of this church, then you’re a part of the flock. And it would be helpful as a member of the flock to know and understand the biblical charges given to elders.
• Second, and related to that, consider this a prayer list for your elders. This is how you can pray they would lead.
• Third, the elders are ultimately accountable to God, but humanly are accountable to the congregation as a whole. If you are a member of this church do you know what they are accountable to do?
• And fourth and finally, I believe by God's grace he will raise up additional elders to lead this congregation - some may even be in this room. This informs us exactly what kind of men we need.
So this morning let's consider three ways in which Paul instructs the elders of a local congregation to Shepherd Well. 1st, elders shepherd well...
I. Through A PROCLAMATION That Preserves
Throughout this speech Paul has highlighted the primary responsibility of an elder - that being to boldly proclaim and declare the truth of God's Word.
• In verse 20 he said he "did not shrink back from declaring..."
• 21: testified to both Jews and Greeks
• 24: testify to the gospel of the grace of God
• 25: he went about proclaiming the kingdom of God
• 27: did not shrink back from declaring the whole counsel of God
• 30: you identify false shepherds because they speak twisted things
• 31: admonished everyone with tears
• 32: his final charge to them was to commend them to the word of grace
Throughout these final instructions to the elders he gets back again and again and again to the primary responsibility of elders - the ministry of the proclamation of the Word. Whatever else may be on a pastor's job description; whatever else may be on his to do list; whatever else he is presumed or expected to be doing; priority one superior to all other expectations is the faithful and full proclamation of the word.
And the way Paul describes his own proclamation of the gospel and therefore the expectation of these elders is that it is a proclamation that preserves. There is a preserving effect, there is preserving power in the faithful proclamation of the word of God. Now when an elder has faithfully and fully proclaimed the gospel, he does so with, first of all...
A. A clear CONSCIENCE
26Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all,
Now, what does Paul mean that he is innocent of the blood of all? This harkens back to the prophet Ezekiel. God gave Ezekiel a physical picture of what the spiritual duty of a prophet is. He used the picture of a watchman on the wall, someone appointed by a fortified city to be a lookout for enemies and bands of marauders who might come to charge city and take the city by force. The job of the watchman was to warn the people by blowing the trumpet. God said, if the watchman blows the trumpet warning the people, and they don't heed the warning, their blood is on their own heads. But notice Ezekiel 33:6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand. Ezekiel 33:6
Now that's a physical illustration to relate a spiritual truth. And Paul is saying, "I was a watchman on the wall with the trumpet of God in hand. I can say I faithfully executed my duty as the watchman. I blew the trumpet; I warned of impending judgment; I proclaimed the gospel. If there are any among you who have not surrendered to Jesus as Savior and Lord, if there are any who have not trusted in his once and for all sacrifice for sin - your blood is on your own head - I'm innocent of the blood of you all. I have a clear conscience. And the reason he can say that is because secondly,
B. A Biblical CONFIDENCE
Why did Paul have a clear conscience regarding the eternal destiny of the souls of the men and women in Ephesus? Notice verse 27: for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
We saw that phrase "shrink back" last week. He uses it twice in this speech to reiterate the way in which he proclaimed the gospel. He did not shrink back. And here he describes the totality of his preaching as "the whole counsel of God."
Paul knows that at the end of the day, the bottom line is this - what enables him to have a clear conscience is a biblical confidence. He did not entrust the destiny of the souls of men to slick marketing techniques, or trendy clothes; or elaborate stage sets; or impressive programs. His complete confidence was in the Word; he placed his confidence in the proclamation of the whole counsel of God.
Now here's a question to ponder. If Paul says he's innocent of their blood, is it possible to be guilty of someone's blood? If he's saying he's innocent of the blood, the eternal destiny of someone's soul, then it stands to reason it's possible to be guilty of someone's soul; it's possible for a preacher to be guilty of someone not being saved. If this weren't the case, Paul's statement would be pointless, wouldn't it? That's why James warns: Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. James 3:1
Ill. You know in our educational system we have metrics & rubrics by which the success or failure of a school or a teacher are measured. Standardized testing is a major way they are judged. So when the results of standardized tests come back, school administrators and faculty are on pins and needles. Are the educational benchmarks being met; is this school succeeding or failing in these areas; are they showing signs of improvement in reaching these goals with the students? Here's the rubric for the pastor - preach the whole counsel of God.
So lets follow the logic of Paul's statement: if it's possible for him to be innocent of the blood of men, then it's possible for preachers and teachers to be guilty of the blood of men. And if the reason Paul is not guilty of the blood of men is because he DID preach the whole counsel of God, then it stands to reason the way you become guilty of the blood of men is by NOT preaching the whole counsel of God. Make sense?
So you might ask, "Why, when the stakes are so high, why would a preacher not preach the whole counsel of God?" It goes back to that two word phrase - shrink back.
We saw this last week when we looked at that word, to not shrink back requires courage - it requires some intestinal fortitude to preach the WHOLE counsel of God. Why? They might be hard to understand. Or they might step on toes; or they might knock down the altars of human pride. Or they might demand radical obedience. And so the elders might be tempted to declare only part of God's counsel—the part that is easy and that they know people especially like. But that would be a shrinking back from declaring the whole counsel of God. It would be cowardice not courage. And for the cowardly preacher, there will be some blood on his hands for the eternal souls of men.
So pray for your elders that we would not be cowards, but would be courageous. Elders shepherd well through the proclamation that preserves. Secondly Elders, you shepherd well...
II. Through The PROTECTION You Provide
It is in verses 28 & 29 where Paul particularly uses the language of shepherding very clearly. Look again at those verses: 28Pay 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. 29I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
Now I’ve got some words underlined in these two verses on the screen and I want you to notice those. I’ve got the word flock underlined in both of its occurrences in verse 28 and 29, and I’ve got the words “to care for” underlined as well. Here’s a little grammar quiz – what part of speech is the word “flock?” Is it a noun or verb? It’s a noun. What part of speech is “to care?” It’s a verb. But here’s what doesn’t come out in our English translations. Those words are closely related.
*See Slide, Luke 2:8, Ephesians 4:11
So if you look again at verse 28-29 we might translate it like this: 28Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the sheep, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the sheep.
The elders serve as God's under-shepherds. And what are the main tasks of a shepherd? Well we saw in the first point of the message, it’s to feed the sheep. An elder “shepherds well” by feeding the sheep entrusted to his care. What does he feed them - a steady, fully nutritional, well-rounded spiritual diet – the whole counsel of God.
But the second point in my sermon is that another main task of the shepherd is to provide protection to the sheep. Elders shepherd well by protecting those that God has entrusted to their care. And from the text, there are two ways they do that. First of all…
A. By giving ATTENTION to each other
28Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock...
I want you to circle that phrase “pay careful attention.” I looked it up in my Greek lexicon, and do you know that the Greek word means? Pay careful attention! It also means to be on guard, or to devote thought or effort towards something or someone.
Now as we’ve been going through this passage today and we’ve been discussing the role of elders with the congregation being like that of a shepherd and a flock of sheep, you may have had this thought: “if the elders shepherd the flock, who shepherds the elders?” The answer is, they shepherd each other. When it comes to protecting the flock the first people they need protect and pay careful attention to is each other. He says, “pay careful attention to yourselves.”
In every NT church in the Bible there is a plurality of elders that together shepherd the flock of God. There may be a lead elder, or a first among many, but he is accountable fully to the other elders. And that’s the instruction Paul gives the Ephesian elders – before paying attention to the flock, pay attention to yourselves. The elders shepherd each other, and you’ll see why that’s so important in just a moment.
Now once you’ve established the inner-accountability of the elders, Paul says to pay attention to the flock of God. Then he gives two motivations for doing that. First of all he says, “The Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” The point Paul’s making is this – you may have desired the office of elder, you may have been appointed to the office, the church may have elected you by majority vote to the office. But the only reason you hold the office of elder in the church in Ephesus is because the very Holy Spirit of God has appointed you to be an overseer in this church. And I think Paul intends for this to be somewhat shocking to their system. He wants to motivate them in their work as elders with this sobering reality – “you know, God’s the one by His Holy Spirit who appoint you as an overseer in this church. See to it that you shepherd well.”
But the other motivation and incentive he gives to them is the last phrase of verse 28: , shepherd the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
He says, “never forget, the church you pastor is a blood-bought church. He obtained this church, he purchased this church with the cost of his own blood.” What’s he talking about here? He’s obviously talking about the price that Jesus Christ, the son of God, paid for sins when he died on the cross. The price was the shedding of his blood - the most valuable price that could ever be paid. Therefore, shepherd this blood-bought church well.
Let me illustrate it like this – imagine you, as an act of pastor appreciation, said to me, “Troy, I’d like to take you on a deep-sea fishing trip – you and one of your kids.” I say, “That’d be awesome.” So we’re in the Gulf of Mexico, 30 miles from shore. And for whatever reason my child, let’s say it’s Trevor, he takes off his life jacket and falls overboard into the water.
Well my first response as his dad is to jump in the water after him. I’m able to grab him, swim back to the boat, and hand him up to you. And just as I hand him up to you, a Great White shark comes up from the depth and takes a bite, right out of my side. You’re able to pull me in the boat, but the damage is massive. There’s no way, 30 miles out, that we’ll make it back to shore for emergency care. So as I lie there in the boat, bleeding to death, I look up at you and say, “Make sure my family is taken care of!” Would that bear any weight? Would that have any motivation behind it?
And so Paul’s saying, “I want to motivate you to shepherd well. You’ve been appointed by the Holy Spirit to be overseers of the church, the church God purchased with his own blood.” He says you, therefore, provide protection to the flock of God by paying careful attention to yourselves, and to all the flock of God. Secondly, elders you provide protection…
B. By being ALERT for wolves
Continuing with this metaphor of a shepherd and sheep, one of the responsibilities of a shepherd is to protect the flock from predators, namely – wolves. Notice verse 29 and following: 29I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31Therefore be alert
Now did you notice from where the wolves arise? Paul, speaking to the elders – this select group of leaders in the church, he says, “from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things.” The wolves don’t arise from within the flock, they arise from within the shepherds of the flock; those who have been charged to speak truth to the flock, and these false shepherds start speaking twisted things to the flock.
That makes the earlier admonition to “pay careful attention to yourselves” all the more important if it’s from among the elders that the wolves arise.
This really makes Jesus’ words so much more powerful when you understand them in this context. He made a similar warning in Matthew 7: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:15
Now for a long time I thought that Jesus' warning meant that false prophets come disguised as sheep. I had something like this as a mental picture. IMAGE. But look closely at what Jesus said. He didn’t say they come to you in a sheep’s costume, he said they come to you in sheep’s clothing.
So who wears clothing made from sheep? Who wears clothing made of wool and sheepskins? Well, shepherds do. So what Jesus is saying in Matthew 7, and what Paul is saying here in Acts 20 is that false prophets don't come disguised as sheep; they come disguised as shepherds. Therefore, this IMAGE by be a better representation this. From among the shepherds, from among the pastors there will arise wolves. Therefore, be alert, he says
So how does Paul instruct the elders to shepherd well? First, through a proclamation that preserves; Second; through a protection you provide; and thirdly…
III. Through A PROVISION That Is Promised
32And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Here’s the promised provision – the presence of God, the word of his grace, and the promise of a future inheritance. And it’s that promise of a future inheritance I want to key in on, because that's what Paul keys in on. You see all this work, all this labor, this watchfulness, and careful attention, and pastoral care, and diligent preaching – there is an inheritance for those who are faithful. It’s not an earthly inheritance; it’s eternal in the heavens, where moth and rust don’t destroy and thieves can’t break in and steal.
He's saying, I want you to depend on this inheritance that’s in the future because if you do, it’s going to free you up in the present. Let me say that again: I want you to bank on this inheritance in the future because if you do, it’s going to free you up in the present. There’s something it will free you from, and there’s something it will free you to. First, it will make you…
A. Free from GREED
33I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel.
You know it’s sad that some unchurched folks have this impression that all preachers are interested is getting your money.
Not long ago one of our members came to me and said, “Troy, I need your help. I invited one of my friends to come to church with me, and he said, ‘I’m not going down to that church. That preacher is just like every other preacher, all they want is your money.’” Now I’ve never met this gentleman, and as far as I know he’s never heard me preach. So why would he have formed this impression of me, and all preachers for that matter, that all we want is your money?
Well maybe, and this is just a hunch, just a guess, maybe he’s seen some TV preachers and realized most of what they talk about is you giving your money to them. All the while they’re living in mansions, driving Bentleys, flying in private jets wearing $5,000 suits.
Now I’m not a smart man, but this just might be where this impression of preachers comes from. And what Paul is saying is that is exactly the opposite impression preachers ought to make. Paul says, I didn’t want anyone’s silver, I desire nobody’s gold, I wasn’t spending my time updating my wardrobe to the latest fashion trends. I wasn’t figuring out ways to bilk more people out of their money so that I could live it up. In fact, just the opposite. Look at verse 34: You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. He says I didn’t just take care of myself, I took care of other people too. How did he do it? By working hard!
Illustration: in my 20 years of full time ministry I’ve had several ministerial staff and support staff that worked under me. Interns, assistants, secretaries, associate pastors, ministers. In all that time there’s only been one person that I felt the need to fire. Now there were multiple issues with this employee, but the main one is that he was lazy
The hardest working people in the church ought to be the church staff; ought to be the pastors. We’re not doing this to get rich; we’re not doing this to make a lot of money or dress in fancy clothes. We’re doing this because the Bible says there’s a future inheritance; treasures being stored up in heaven. And knowing that frees you from greed. But in addition to that, walking in that truth of our future inheritance makes you
B. Free to GIVE
35In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” I said the hardest working people in the church ought to be the shepherds; but not only that, the most generous people in the church ought to be the shepherds.
I want you to know something – they don’t know I’m going to say this, and they’re probably going to get upset at me for telling you this – but you need to know it. The most generous people in our church are our 3 lay elders. Joe Galloway, Darrell Smith, and Nick Burrows. They are giving men. And not just of their time – which is significant – they give away their financial resources.
They give sacrificially to our church budget; they give sacrificially to our international missions strategy; they give to our capital campaign to renovate our facilities. But even above and beyond that, they anonymously give money to people they hear about who are in financial need. Not for a tax right off or for accolades from men. They’ve been freed from greed and free to give.
In our day and age, in our culture, who sells their nearly-new house, and buys a fixer-upper, cutting their square footage in half, so that they might free up some financial resources in order to give more money away? Who does that? In our day and age, in our culture of consumerism, who does that? Nobody does that! Nobody that is, except someone who understands the promised inheritance; someone who understands it’s not about what you collect down here but the treasures you send on ahead; someone who’s been freed from greed and is now free to give.
And while I’m giving props to our elders, let me tell you, God’s given us five men to serve you as elders. Three of whom are not paid a dime from this church. And I’m here to tell you, they shepherd well. I wish some of you could just be a fly on the wall in our meetings as we labor over shepherding this church; as we labor over sin among our members; as we labor over making hard decisions. As we spend time in prayer, often through tears, lifting up the needs of this congregation to the Good shepherd Jesus. Oh we make our mistakes, we fumble and bumble around some things. But God has given a good gift to LVBC – faithful elders. And I’m praying and I would ask you to pray with me, that God will raise up some more elders here, elders who will shepherd well.
Illustration: I remember my senior year in high school, about 2 weeks before school was over our senior yearbook came out. And when you get your senior yearbook, you take it around to your friends and ask them to sign it. Some of the most powerfully profound prose ever composed is found in the final words of a high school senior’s yearbook. Powerful words like, “Have a great summer!” Riveting.
Or how about this popular one, “Don’t ever change, dude.” Are you kidding me? What a terrible thing to say to a 17 or 18 year old kid, “Don’t ever change?” Everything about you probably needs to change. Or how about this one, “Stay cool, man!”
We just spent two weeks studying Paul’s final words to the elders in the church in Ephesus. And his final charge in all of this, his final instruction, the last big idea was verse 32: 32And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace
It all comes back to the Word. Elders are to be people of the book; they are to bleed Bible. Stick with the word, he says. It will build you up; it will keep you going, it will bring you home. Get into this Word. That’s the last big idea that Paul is giving to these men, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace. Test everything against this word. Test your hearts, test your motives, test your doctrine, test your will against this word, test your traditions against this word, test your politics against this word.
And when you go deep into the Word, and become immersed in it you will realize it is the word of his grace! When you're feeling beat up; when you've blown it, press into the word not away from it. And experience the word of his grace. Oh grace, the great word of grace that God has given to us. God has given us a means by which we might know him, and it’s His word. That’s Paul’s last thought to these elders before their tearful goodbye, and that leads to my last thought:
Last Thought: God will keep you CLOSE as you keep close to His WORD.
