“Be Glossy! Not Bossy!”
Thesis: Church leaders need be willing to serve God and His people and not become deceived by the world but remain servant leaders to the end. Young people in the church need to learn to follow Jesus and submit to the leadership that God has put into place.
Scripture Text: 1 Peter 5: 1-14:
1To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
5Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”
6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
12With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.
13She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
I. Leaders need to be willing to serve God and His people and not become deceived by the world (I Peter 5:1-5).
a. Peter appeals to church leadership and warns them against becoming deceived by the world in the following areas.
i. Do not become deceived by the world and buy into a greedy mentality.
1. Greed is the pitfall of many leaders in the church.
a. "The poorest person I know is the one who has nothing but money." --John D. Rockefeller Jr.
b. Spurgeon says: "Ships never strike on rocks out in the great deeps. Children, perhaps, may fancy that a shallow sea is the safest, but an old sailor knows better. While he is off the Irish coast the captain has to keep a good look out, but while he is crossing the Atlantic he is in far less danger. There he has plenty of sea room, and there is no fear of quicksands or of shoals. When the sailor enters the Thames he encounters first one sand bank and then another, and he is in danger, but out in the deep water, where he finds no bottom, he is but little afraid. So, mark you, in the judgments of God. When he is dealing out affliction to us it is the safest possible sailing that a Christian can have. ’What,’ says one, ’trial safe?’ Yes, very safe. The safest part of a Christian’s life is the time of trial. ’What, when a man is down do you say he is safe?’ Yes, for then he need fear no fall; when he is low he need fear no pride; when he is humbled under God’s hand then he is less likely to be carried away with every wind of temptation. Smooth water on the way to heaven is always a sign that the soul should keep wide awake, for danger is near. One comes at last to feel a solemn dread creeping over one in times of prosperity. ’Thou shalt fear and tremble because of all the good that God shall make to pass before thee’ {Jer. 33:9}, fearing not so much lest the good should depart as lest we should make an ill use of it, and should have a canker of sloth, or self-confidence, or worldliness growing up in our spirits. We have seen many professed Christians make shipwreck, in some few instances it has been attributable to overwhelming sorrow, but in ten cases to the one it has been attributable to prosperity."
c. In nearly every American city or town, you can find people like Peter Jaquith. He is 67 and has $150 in his checking account. He lives on $1,100 a month in Social Security and a little help from family members. To make ends meet, he has worked as a deliveryman and a toilet cleaner. It hasn’t always been like this for Mr. Jaquith. In the 1980’s, he was a partner at Lazard Frères, the elite investment bank, and the right-hand man of Felix Rohatyn, its legendary deal maker. At his peak, Mr. Jaquith was worth at least $20 million. Posted by Ram Ahluwalia at August 24, 2003 08:03 AM
2. 1 Timothy 6:3-10: 3If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. 6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s.
a. Paul warns that those who serve the church of Christ should not be greedy.
3. 2 Timothy 3:1-5: 1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
a. Paul warns us as leaders never to become lovers of money but this sin will be rampant in the last days.
4. Jim Baker’s book “I was Wrong”
a. Quote: During my time at F.M.C. Rochester, I observed something that it seemed to me had gotten nearly every inmate into trouble. It was something insidious, pervasive, something that I too had tried to cover and push aside in my own life-the love of money…I was amazed at this ‘new’ revelation, but beyond that, I was deeply concerned. As the true impact of Jesus’ words regarding money impacted my heart and mind, I became physically nauseated. I was wrong. I was wrong! Wrong in my lifestyle, certainly, but even more fundamentally, wrong in my understanding of the Bible’s true message. Not only was I wrong, but I was teaching the opposite of what Jesus had said. That is what broke my heart; when I came to the awareness that I had actually been contradicting Christ, I was horrified” (531, 532).
b. Quote; “The more I studied the Bible, however, I had to admit that the prosperity message did not line up with the tenor of Scripture. My heart was crushed to think that I led so many people astray. I was appalled that I could have been so wrong, and I was deeply grateful that God had not struck me dead as a false prophet! How could I have taught and even written books on the subject of ‘How to get rich’ when Jesus spoke so clearly about the dangers of earthly riches? One of the statements of Jesus that kept echoing in my head and heart was in the parable of the sower, where Jesus said that “the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). The deceitfulness of riches. The more I thought about it, the more I had to admit that I had fallen into that snare. I had allowed the quest for material possessions and the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts for other things to choke the Word of God in my own life and in the lives of my family members and coworkers. As PTL grew larger and our ministry more widespread, I had a financial tiger by the tail, and just coming up with enough money to meet daily budgets dominated my thoughts and my time”(533).
5. Stories from Preachers: A Frenchman who came to the U.S. from Paris met with a very sad mishap. He brought with him to this country 10,000 francs, which was all his fortune. He met a seemingly friendly Spaniard at his boarding-house, and the Frenchman trusted the Spaniard enough to loan him his money. The Frenchman accepted from the Spaniard five gold bricks as collateral for the loan, but when the Spaniard went away, and the Frenchman took his bricks to a jeweler to assess their monetary value, he was sadly informed that they were composed of copper, tin, and zinc, without one particle of gold. The despair of the poor Frenchman when he discovered that he had been swindled out of all his little fortune was very sad to behold. But how many are deceived in a similar manner. Men and women invest all their time and talent in glittering and delusive treasures which promise happiness and peace, but one needs to realize that they are only a base alloy. Many who are deceived in this fashion are crying out that life is not worth the living, and we see stories in the news media every day of those who have wickedly put an end to their lives because they had not the courage to rise out of their defeats. But those who live genuine lives, doing the will of God with honest hearts, and seeking always to please him, do not find life a cheat. These people find life worth the living, and have heaven added as a crown of glory which never fades away.
ii. Do not become deceived and think the church should serve you instead you serve the church and be eager about it.
1. Have a holy zeal to serve God and the Body of Christ with your gifts.
2. Always remember you labor for God not people.
a. One sunny Sunday morning, Henry Jones awoke to find his wife standing over him, shaking him by the shoulder.
"You have to get up," she urged. "We have to get ready for church.” "I don’t want to go to church," he replied. "I want to stay in bed.” Crossing her arms over her chest, his wife demanded,
"Give me three good reasons why you should stay in bed and not go to church."
"OK," he answered. "First, I don’t get anything out of the service. Second, I don’t like the people there. And third, no one there likes me.
Now can you give me three good reasons why I should go to church?"
His wife responded, "First, it will do you some good.
Second, there are people who really do like you, and they’ll miss you if you aren’t there. And third, you’re the minister!"
Contributed to Sermon Central by: Darrin Koone
3. Do not become deceived by the world with the Top Down Attitude management style in your leadership instead be servant leaders.
a. Use the leadership style that Jesus role modeled.
i. Finzel states, “When it comes to servant leadership there is no better model than that of Jesus Christ. On the night he was betrayed, Jesus showed His followers just how much he loved them. We read John chapter 13, verse 1 and he ‘knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of His love.’ At that point Jesus begins to give his final and ultimate demonstration of servant leadership: he washes the disciples feet” (30)!
b. Quote from Finzel: Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make
i. He states, “The top-down approach to leadership is based on the military model of barking orders to weak underlings. It goes something like this: ‘I’m in charge here, and the sooner you figure that out the better” (23).
ii. He tells us how to recognize this style of leadership: Where does the top-down attitude show up?
1. Abusive authority
2. Deplorable delegation
3. lack of listening
4. Dictatorship in decision making
5. lack of letting go
6. Egocentric manner (23).
iii. Do not become deceived by the world and think you do not need to be role models to the people you lead.
1. You need to be living examples of holiness in this world so that the people will follow Jesus.
a. From: Stories For Preachers: Vitus Theodorus, one of the German Reformers, once said: "I cannot enough admire the cheerfulness, constancy, faith, and hope of Luther, even in these trying times. He constantly feeds these good affections by a very diligent study of the Word of God. Then, not a day passes in which he does not employ in prayer at least three of his best hours. Once I happened to hear him at prayer. Oh, what spirit, what faith was there in his expressions! He petitioned God with as much reverence as if he were in the Divine presence, and yet with as firm a hope and confidence as he would address a friend. ’I know,’ said he, ’that Thou art our Father and our God; therefore I am sure that Thou wilt bring to naught the persecutions of Thy children; for shouldest Thou fail to do this, Thine own cause being connected with ours, would be endangered. It is entirely Thine own concern; we, by Thy providence, have been compelled to take a part; Thou therefore wilt be our defense.’ While I was listening to Luther praying in this manner, at a distance, my soul seemed to burn within me, to hear a man address God so much like a friend, and yet with so much gravity, and reverence; and also to hear him, in the course of his prayer, insisting on the promise contained in the Psalms, as if he were sure his petitions would be granted."
i. President Lincoln said, “To sin by silence when one should speak makes cowards of men.”
2. Paul tells us follow him as he follows Christ that should also be the church leaders words of encouragement to the church.
3. The Marks of a Witness
1. A witness must have a first-hand experience of Christ. Hearsay is not acceptable in a court of law, nor in the court of this world’s opinion. People will listen only to what we have personally seen and heard.
2. A witness must be able to express himself verbally. We may witness effectively through our lives, our work, our relationships, our attitudes, our suffering and even our death, yet we must still ?be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you.? We must do so ?with gentleness and respect,? and with the integrity of our lives demonstrating the truth of our words.
3. A witness will have confidence in the power of God. He relies on the power of the message of Christ and him crucified, and the power of the Holy Spirit. He knows that God can break through any defenses, and change any heart. This confidence will not be brash, but humble and sensitive, marked by much prayer. He knows that without God he can do nothing, but that with God all things are possible.
4. A witness will have compassion for the spiritually lost. He will care for them as individuals who matter deeply to God: made in his image, redeemed by his Son, and to be indwelt by his Spirit.
David Watson, Called & Committed: World-Changing Discipleship, (Harold Shaw Publishers, Wheaton, IL; 1982), pp. 142-143
Contributed to sermon central by: Edwin Amundson
b. Understand leaders that you will receive a great reward for you servant leadership approach to ministry by God.
i. If you are faithful to the end you will receive the crown of Glory.
1. This crown will never fade away or lose its brilliant color and glow like the world’s crowns do.
2. This crown is eternal! It does not burn out or fade away.
ii. Example the crowns from the Olympics:
1. The ones who receive the world’s glory understand how quick fame and glory fade away.
a. Illustration: Eric Heiden former Olympian medalist “Once I was done my sports career, there was a big hole in my life.”
iii. Other crowns that fade in this life:
1. NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Even before he turned in his lucky ticket, William Post had a hunch that winning the $16-million Pennsylvania Lottery jackpot was going to bring him a heap of trouble. He just didn’t know how much. "With my family, [I knew] they were going to do anything to get the money," said Post, 63, who won big back on Feb. 24, 1988. As it turned out, anything included a younger brother who was arrested for hiring a hit man to kill Post. Other siblings, said Post, pestered him until he agreed to invest in various car and restaurant business deals. He says he never saw a dime of it back. But that wasn’t the end. "I had more lawsuits than you could shake a stick at," said Post. A former girlfriend sued Post for failing to share winnings. Meanwhile, courts held his money in escrow until Post’s debts were settled. Eventually, he auctioned off his winning ticket to pay his bills. All in all, Post says he figures he received about $2 million, part of which he used to buy his three-bedroom Pennsylvania home. It’s about the only thing he has to show for the Lottery winnings. All the money is gone. Legal fees and taxes ate much of the money, says Post. But he’s also admitted that he went on a spending spree, too. Post now lives on $450 monthly Social Security payments and food stamps. He spends much of his day watching classic movies on television. But Post isn’t complaining. Now that the money’s gone, people leave him alone. His house is quiet. He’s content. "I’ve got peace of mind and you never realize how valuable it is until you lose it," he says. "I’m a Roman Catholic so I know that rarely a rich man goes to heaven. The way I see it, I’ve got a good shot." He’s not the first to lose it all. As it turns out, Post is in good company among lottery winners gone bust. One New Jersey woman even won two lotteries -- for a total of $5.4 million -- but blew threw it all on spending, gifts and gambling. Uncommon? Not really. Two out of three lose or spend all their winnings within five years, said Stephen Goldbart, co-director of the Money, Meaning and Choices Institute in San Francisco.
iv. The Crown of Glory is the reward given to those who faithfully shepherd the flock of God . They are the faithful servants who keep with the requirements spelled out in verse 2 and 3.
1. They are servant leaders who are willing to serve with no ulterior motives.
2. They are leaders who are will to sacrifice for the cause of Christ and be dedicated to the very end.
3. They are servant leaders who guided the flock with humility and rooted out pride in their lives.
T.S. – Leaders in the church need to make sure they follow the example of Jesus and be the servant leaders God called them to be.
II. Young people need to learn to follow Jesus and the leadership He has put into place in the church (I Peter 5:6-10).
a. Peter appeals to the younger people in the church to do the following so that they are holy as God is holy.
i. They need to be submissive to those who are older.
1. Peter reminds the young people that their elders do know a lot about life and a lot about serving Jesus since they have been at it longer.
2. The big word here is Respect!
ii. Young people need to wear the clothes –the uniform of humility when comes to dealing with other s in the church- especially the elders and leaders of the church.
1. If they learn to do this it will go well with them.
a. Humility is the key in being able to have healthy relationships in the church.
b. Pride is the enemy and has to be expelled-it has to be rooted out because if it is not it will cause destruction and disunity in the body.
2. Peter then hammers home why the young people should be humble in the church?
a. Because God is always against people who are not teachable and prideful.
b. Because God hates prideful attitudes
c. Because pride leads to a persons fall
d. Because if you have a heart of humility you will receive God’s grace and mercy.
e. Because rewards are promised to those who are humble – The meek the humble will inherit the earth.
iii. The young people are also encouraged to cast all their anxiety on to the Lord.
1. Peter encourages the body of Christ to cast their stress onto the Lord.
2. He tells look to Jesus as our stress manager.
3. We need to learn to look to Jesus to help us as we deal with the pressures and stresses in life.
4. Why should they do this? Because they care!
iv. The young people are to learn to become self-controlled!
1. Young people need to learn the importance of self-control.
b. Why should the young people of the church do these things?
i. Because the Devil is prowling around looking for someone to devour.
1. His mission is to kill, steal and destroy and you are on his radar screen if you are a Christian.
a. He wants to eat you!
ii. Therefore the young person needs to be alert – they must be on guard.
1. Truth is if you fall asleep the enemy will sneak up on you and kill you.
iii. They must resist the way of the enemy.
1. Jim Kane notes: I am reminded of the story of the discussion at church camp for children where one of the counselors was leading a discussion on the purpose of God has for all of his creation.
They began to find good reasons for the clouds and trees and rocks and rivers and animals and just about everything else in nature.
Finally, one of the children asked, “If God has a good purpose for everything, then why did He create poison ivy?” This made the discussion leader gulp and, as he struggled with the question, one of the other children piped up, “The reason God made poison ivy is that He wanted us to know that there are certain things we should keep our cotton-pickin’ hands off of!”
Contributed to sermon central by: Jim Kane
2. A man and his wife were shopping at a mall and a shapely young woman in a short, form-fitting dress strolled by. The man’s eyes followed her. Without looking up from the item she was examining, his wife asked, "Was it worth the trouble you’re in?"
Contributed to Sermon Central by: Lynn Floyd
3. 20 times in the NT, believers are reminded to be on the alert, to Watch. Most of the time it is Jesus who commands it. But peter reminds us here to be alert and resist the Devils ways.
4. We are to resist the Devil like Jesus Did! How do you resist Him?
a. You resist him by learning to recognize his lies of deception.
b. You learn to stand against that which is contrary to Scripture.
c. You learn to call on Jesus for help against the enemy.
d. You learn to quote the truth to the lies of the enemy.
e. You decide to live for Jesus and to die to self.
iv. We must realize that we are not alone in this battle. But there are others in it this battle also.
Conclusion:
We need to remember that God will reward us as we do what we are called to do for the kingdom. We will have to make sure we fight against the enemy and resist his deceptive ways. We must remember that as we persevere and continue to resist and finish strong then God will reward us.
Video Illustration: STAY THE COURSE
The 2000 movie, The Patriot starred Mel Gibson as Benjamin Martin, a reluctant Revolutionary War hero.
Martin has an 18-year-old son named Gabriel who is eager to join the conflict.
Gabriel’s sentiments for his country are revealed by one pastime: throughout the first half of the movie, Gabriel diligently repairs an American flag he found in the dirt.
Tragically, Gabriel becomes a casualty of the war, and, suffering deep loss, his father Benjamin Martin appears ready to quit the cause.
While Martin is grieving at the side of his dead son, Colonel Harry Burwell, a Continental officer, attempts to persuade Martin not to quit.
He recognizes Martin has great influence with the soldiers and his departure would demoralize the troops.
As the scene opens, the colonel says, "Stay the course, Martin. Stay the course."
Grief-stricken, Martin responds, "I’ve run the course."
Resigned to the outcome, the colonel informs the troops and they ride on, leaving Martin behind.
As Martin loads his son’s personal effects on his horse, though, he finds the American flag Gabriel had successfully restored.
As the dejected soldiers ride away, certain they have seen the last of Benjamin Martin, Martin appears in the distance, carrying the flag.
With determination in his posture, he rides upright in his saddle, face like flint, the Stars and Stripes whipping in the wind.
Martin has been a symbol of perseverance for the men, and there is a triumphant shout of both relief and excitement from the once-weary troops as they see the patriot crest the hill.
Whether leaders at home, school, work or church, we must never underestimate the power of our influence to demoralize or to rally others.
People are watching. Soldiers look to officers.
Children look to parents.
We must stay the course.
["The Patriot": Perseverance despite Heartbreak, Citation: The Patriot, rated R, Columbia Pictures, Centropolis Entertainment; Executive Producers, William Fay, Ute Emmerich, Roland Emmerich; submitted by David Slagle, Lawrenceville, Georgia]
(Elapsed time: 2:13:09 to 2:15:50; Content: The Patriot is rated R for graphic violence. There is no nudity. )
Contributed to sermon central by: A. Todd Coget
Truth is:
God will restore us fully after the war is over.
God will strengthen us after the battle and during the battles in life.
But we must stand firm against the evil lion and resist him.
We must make our stand now.
We must face the enemy and slay him with the sword of the spirit.
We must fight and not fall asleep while we are on duty.
Truth is victory is just around the corner so don’t give up.
Pastor Carver notes this about losing sight of the goal at the very end: This comes from his sermon on sermon central called “Losing Sight of The Goal”.
It was a fog-shrouded morning, July 4, 1952, when a young woman named Florence Chadwick waded into the water off Catalina Island. She intended to swim the channel from the island to the California coast. Long-distance swimming was not new to her; she had been the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. The water was numbing cold that day. The fog was so thick she could hardly see the boats in her party. Several times sharks had to be driven away with rifle fire. She swam more than 15 hours before she asked to be taken out of the water. Her trainer tried to encourage her to swim on since they were so close to land, but when Florence looked, all she saw was fog. So she quit. . . only one-mile from her goal. Later she said, "I’m not excusing myself, but if I could have seen the land I might have made it." It wasn’t the cold or fear or exhaustion that caused Florence Chadwick to fail. It was the fog.
Many times we too fail, not because we’re afraid or because of the peer pressure or because of anything other than the fact that we lose sight of the goal.
Maybe that’s why Paul said, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:14).
Two months after her failure, Florence Chadwick walked off the same beach into the same channel and swam the distance, setting a new speed record, because she could see the land!
Let’s not lose sight of the goal! Let’s press through to victory and live the holy lives God has called us to live.
