Title: Shepherd the Suffering
Truth: Shepherds are to help the church to remain faithful to the Lord when suffering.
Aim: I want to encourage pastors and the church to live in a way that helps those who suffer.
Life ?: How do church leaders help others to remain faithful to the Lord when they suffer?
INTRODUCTION
When I left my second pastorate there was a beautiful redheaded seven year old by the name of J’ann Clower. She was the only child of Johnny and Retha. I am partial to redheads because my wife, four daughters and two granddaughters are redheaded. A dozen years later there was a tall, willowy young woman with red hair standing in the hallway of Northeast Baptist. I could tell by the look on her face that she knew me, but I did not have a clue who this beautiful young woman was. It was that little redheaded girl grown up and attending OU. I became her pastor again.
Recently, she came home from work and went for a jog. Suddenly, we are told, she simply fell over. Eventually, we learned that a blood vessel burst in her brain. Physically, her body is strong and healthy, but according to five doctors, her brain is dead. Her family waits by her bedside for the inevitable.
I was surprised how deeply this moved me. Maybe it was because she is so young. She’s only 21. We generally associate death and suffering with advanced age. Maybe it is because she looks like my daughters: young, beautiful, and redheaded. Maybe it is because she was such a good girl and a devoted Christian. The weekend before, she had visited family on the Illinois River at Tahlequah. Sunday morning she left the campground and went to the First Baptist Church. That evening she took her nephew back to the same church. Whatever the reason, suffering moves us to think deeply and to challenge the beliefs and practices that we take for granted in the easy days.
It’s not surprising that the motivation for writing the epistle of I Peter has to do with suffering. Peter, the author, is writing to encourage and reassure Christian churches in Asia Minor as stormy seasons of persecution begin. No Christian avoids suffering, and no true Christian escapes suffering for Christ’s sake.
In I Peter 1:6, the word “trials” is the same one used by our Lord at the Last Supper to convey the spiritual and mental trials He would endure, as well as threats to His person. The word describes difficulties and sorrows caused by opposition, and they are the means by which God tests the mettle of a man’s faith. I Peter 3:13-17 reveals that some may suffer for righteousness sake. It is written in a way that makes this a remote possibility. The best way to defend the Christian life is with goodness, gentleness and a respectful spirit that answers all honest enquiry. A change of tone occurs in 4:12-19. The trials occasionally are “fiery.” These three passages reveal that the persecution at this time was spasmodic and occasional. The Christians whom Peter addresses feel exposed and vulnerable at any moment to slander, deprivation and even violence. This would date the letter in the 60’s and not the last part of the century when there was widespread government sponsored persecution of the church.
What do you say to people who are suffering and it challenges their faith? Peter reminds them what God has done for them in salvation, and the ultimate hope they have in Christ. In light of that great gift of salvation and hope, live obedient holy lives that reflect the true God (1:3-2:3). Live as the people of God. Like a temple, reveal that God lives within the fellowship of the church. This is done by a new lifestyle (2:4-3:12). Christ’s redemptive work provides the example of suffering and glory. Suffering and glory will be the Christian’s experience, too (3:13-4:19). Peter’s aim is found in 5:12 where he wants the church to stand fast or to remain faithful to their Christian calling. He instructs the pastors on how to influence that faithfulness in the church. Shepherds are to help the church remain faithful to the Lord when suffering.
How do pastors help others remain faithful to the Lord when they suffer?
I. THE LEADERS EXAMPLE HELPS THE CHURCH REMAIN FAITHFUL (I PETER 5:1-4)
In 4:19, Peter has told the church that their response is not that of a fatalist who
resigns to suffering, but it is an active commitment to do right. Therefore, he tells the pastor’s what a commitment to do good looks like and he tells the church what active good they are to do. The first example of a leader is Peter’s example.
A. Peter’s example (I Peter 5:1).
The most powerful influence a pastor can have on Christians to remain faithful in the pain of suffering is his own example. Peter sets this up by referring to his example. He is bound to these pastors because he shares with them the responsibility of caring for God’s people. His calling to the pastoral ministry by the Lord is found in John 21. There Peter was told to care and tend God’s people.
But he was more than a fellow pastor. He was an eyewitness to the Lord’s suffering. Being an eyewitness to the Lord is the foundation of his authority as an apostle. He saw how the Lord responded when He suffered at the hands of cruel men.
In addition to that, he was a witness of Christ’s glory. What does this refer to? I suggest it is the Transfiguration. The word “sharer” is usually used in the New Testament to refer to some kind of concrete experience. This is the only place in the New Testament where it is used with “glory.” But the Transfiguration was also a foretaste of Christ’s ultimate glory. Peter speaks of a glory “about to be revealed.” What a hope for the future!
Pastor and writer Bruce Larson on a visit to the Menninger Clinic, asked the staff to identify the single most important ingredient in the treatment of the mentally disturbed. They were unanimous in singling out hope as the most important factor, but went on to confess they didn’t really know how to “dispense” hope to a patient. It is a quality of the spirit, and thus an elusive gift. Yet they could tell right away when a patient turned the corner in treatment and for the first time believed the future did not have to be the same as the troubled present.
The organization Amnesty International offers a good illustration of infectious hope. The founder, a political prisoner at the brink of despair, was given a matchbook with a single word written on it. “Courage!” That small gesture of shared humanity renewed his hope enough to keep him alive. When the man finally attained freedom, he devoted himself to building an organization based on the simplest principle imaginable. People in free countries write letters to prisoners who are being held and tortured for political reasons. For thousands of prisoners, the mere knowledge that someone else cares---even an unknown letter-writer---has kindled the flame of hope.
You may tire of the Guideposts stories of the disabled person who ultimately finds happiness, but disabled people do not find them wearisome. Suffering people find hope when another sufferer tells them there is something good waiting for them at the end of the road. It is not optimism or wishful thinking, for that can be a denial of reality. Hope gives us the courage to face reality. When a parent knows that their child is going to die, but they also know that’s not the end of the road, they can carry on. One day they will be together because they share in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The leader’s example helps the church to remain faithful to the Lord. We see that in Peter’s example of fellowship and hope. We see that in the pastor’s example.
B. Pastor’s example (Read I Peter 5:2-3)
This is the first command found in the text before us. The pastor is commanded
to shepherd the people of God. Peter issues the same call that he received from the Lord when he was instructed to feed and tend the sheep.
The Old Testament used the shepherd motif to describe those who were given the assignment of caring for God’s people. Moses was called from tending the flocks of Jethro to shepherding Israel (Isa. 63:11). King David was God’s royal shepherd (2 Sam. 5:2; 7:7). But they were only undershepherds. Jesus was the true Shepherd of the flock.
The nature of the ministry is service. It is to be done willingly. A form of the word that is translated “not because you must” is found in 2 Corinthians 9:7 in the context of giving our money. Paul says a man must not give by compulsion but out of joy. Nobody should be in the pastoral ministry who is unwilling to do what Jesus did: put on a towel and become a servant.
Why would Peter say this? Why wouldn’t someone be willing to serve God’s people? Who do persecuting regimes imprison when they crack down on the church? Not the deacons. Not the ushers. They toss into prison the leader, the pastor. The pastoral ministry has never been an easy assignment. Some people do their work because they have to. Others do their work because they want to. A pastor is to maintain the spirit of willingness. This is according to God’s will. He doesn’t force us to be saved and he doesn’t force us to serve. God is a gentleman. He draws us to our ministry by the sheer goodness of his grace. Men who preach and serve a Savior who joyfully went to the cross for their sins must willingly serve His call and His people with joy.
James Stalker was a Scottish minister and author at the end of the nineteenth century. In one of his books he wrote:
When I first was settled in a church, I discovered a thing of which nobody had told me, and which I had not anticipated, but which proved a tremendous aid in doing the work of the ministry. I fell in love with my congregation. I do not know how otherwise to express it. It was as genuine a blossom of the heart as any which I have ever experienced. It made it easy to do anything for my people.
Our model of pastoring is not the CEO or the rancher, but the husband who loves
his wife and the father who cares for his children. The nature of the pastor’s ministry is the willing sacrificial service of the Son of God.
The pastor’s motive is discussed next. Both Samuel and Paul were accused of making money off of religion. They both vigorously refuted this motive (I Sam. 12:3-5; Acts 20:33). Paul did believe in a compensated ministry. It is based on the principle Jesus put forth in Matthew 10:10 that a “laborer is worthy of his hire.” Peter does not forbid taking a salary for the ministry. He forbids doing the work just for the money. The love of money disqualifies a man for the ministry.
On the other hand, love for God and his people are what qualify a man to serve as the Lord’s shepherd. At Peter’s ordination service, the Lord asked him three times, “Do you love Me?” (John 21:15-17). That would be a good question to ask a candidate for ministry at an ordination service. It would be a good question for a pastor to ask himself on occasion. Without love for the Lord and his people the work becomes drudgery. We become like Jonah. We obey so we simply won’t be spanked again. But love will even wash the feet of Judas.
I read of a visitor who was spending time with the nuns of Mother Teresa in India. The visitor watched while a nun cleaned a nauseating wound of an impoverished man. The visitor said, “You couldn’t pay me enough to do that.” The nun replied, “Me neither.” Fellow pastor’s, only love will help care for the people as they need to be cared for. Only love for the Lord is the motive that will keep your fervency hot when you experience the hard times of shepherding. A suffering people need a leader who loves them eagerly.
Peter deals with a pastor’s example in the use of his authority. An interesting word is used to describe the church that the pastor leads. They are “entrusted” to the pastor. In the Septuagint, in Deut. 9:29, this word speaks of Israel being God’s inheritance. A pastor is to relate to his flock as those whom God has given to him as an inheritance. They are a gift from the Lord. You are not pastoring that church because of your innate gifts and charm. You’re pastoring that church because God gave you those people as an assignment to lead them to know Him and make Him known. That will affect a man’s attitude. Rather than domineering and abusive, the leader will be an example of gentleness and care.
Lord Acton, the nineteenth-century British politician, composed the famous epigram, “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Acton was very disturbed in his day to see democracy being undermined by power struggles. He was also a Roman Catholic who, in 1870, strongly opposed the decision of the First Vatican Council to attribute infallibility to the pope. He saw it as power corrupting the church.
Authority is important to the welfare of nations and churches and families. Without authority, we would all be mired in chaos. The Olympic athletes have achieved amazing feats because they submitted to the authority of a coach and the requirement of discipline. And churches achieve the purposes of God by submitting to godly Spirit-led leadership. But this submission must be voluntary and not forced.
Since the flock belongs to Christ and the pastor is the servant of the Savior, he must serve the flock in a manner like the Good Shepherd. He exercises oversight with authority, but he is not a stand-in for the Lord.
The pastor’s right to exercise influence mainly comes from the strong feelings of affection, admiration and loyalty that the church has for him. People do things for a friend they won’t do for others. When the church sees their pastor love and serve them with the spirit of Jesus, they will give him great authority in their lives. That’s how a pastor gets authority and that is how he keeps authority and that is how he increases his right to make particular decisions for the direction of the church.
The nature of the pastorate is service; the motivation is love for Christ and his church, and the authority is earned by humble service to the church. This is not easy, but for the pastor who pursues his calling in this way, there is a promised end.
C. Promised end (I Peter 5:4).
Peter reminds them they serve under the Chief Shepherd. When He appears,
those faithful undershepherds will be rewarded for there service. What they will receive is a crown of glory. The “crown” is not a diadem of royalty but the crown of victory. It is not an inherited crown but a crown that is deserved.
We have seen a demonstration of this in the Olympics in Greece. The victors not only have a medal around their neck but a wreath of leaves around their head. The leaves were made of plant that did not fade or wilt. It appeared to last forever. A crown of victory would have been the normal understanding of a Greek audience in hearing of this crown. It is a genitive, which means the faithful pastor will be given a share in the glory and joy of his Lord.
We were reminded in the gymnastic competition of one of the most dramatic scenes to occur in the modern Olympics. In the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, a Japanese gymnast, Shun Fujimoto, was competing in the team competition. Somehow, during the floor exercises, he broke his right knee. It was obvious to all reasonable observers that he would be forced to withdraw. On the following day, Fujimoto competed in his strongest event, the rings. His routine was excellent, but the critical point laid ahead---the dismount. Without hesitation, Fujimoto ended with a twisting, triple somersault. There was a moment of intense quiet as he landed with tremendous impact on his wounded knee. Then came the thunderous applause as he stood his ground. Later, reporters asked about that moment and he replied, “The pain shot through me like a knife. It brought tears to my eyes. But now I have a gold medal, and the pain is gone.”
One day, brothers, the pain will be gone, the tears will have dried and the tiredness will be replaced with us sharing in the unfading glory of the Lord Jesus. The same glory that caused Israel to fall on its face in the wilderness and the same glory that causes the angels praise Him around the throne. Frankly, there is no temporal achievement of self-importance that can possibly rival what Jesus has in store for the pastor who humbly and faithfully tends to the flock he has been assigned.
What most people need to persevere through the hard times is an example of faithfulness and a relationship of love and service. They need a person who hasn’t given up, because the end of the road leads to something better. The pastor provides that example and relationship to the church.
How do pastors help others remain faithful to the Lord when they suffer? By their influence on the church’s example.
II. THE FOLLOWERS EXAMPLE HELPS THE CHURCH TO REMAIN FAITHFUL (I PETER 5:5)
Pastors are to lead churches to respond in two ways. By…
A. act of submission (v. 5a).
This is the second command in the text. It is believed that the older men
would normally be called forward to serve as leaders in the church. So how are the younger men to respond? They are to show deference to the church’s leadership. This phrase was used in catechetical patterns to refer to people of a younger age.
This is in the passive voice, but I suggest it acts like a middle voice. That would make it a reflexive passive. The application would be that this is something that the young men do to themselves. It is not something the leaders impose on them. This fits with the instructions to the pastors in the exercise of their authority and the voluntary submission enjoined on the part of the church.
In 2 Timothy 2:22 Paul told young men to “Flee the evil desires of youth.” John Stott comments, “This is not to be understood exclusively as a reference to sexual lust, but to ‘self-assertion as well as self-indulgence,’ to selfish ambition, headstrong obstinacy, arrogance and indeed all the ‘wayward impulses of youth.’” People like that can create havoc in the church and heartache for pastors.
People who serve a Lord that voluntarily submitted Himself to the whip, the thorns and the nails of death on the cross for their sins are to exemplify that voluntary submission in their relationships with one another.
A second way for the church to set an example is by…
B. attitude of humility (v.5b).
Everyone is to clothe himself with humility. “Clothe” is a strong word that
means to fasten or secure this character trait to your attitude and actions toward others. The Septuagint uses this word in Genesis 42:35 to describe the bundles of grain that Jacob’s sons brought back from Egypt. What was in those sacks of grain determined whether they lived or starved. You can imagine how securely they had them tied up. With that kind of intensity the church is to maintain an attitude of humility toward one another. Some see in this instruction Peter’s remembrance of the King of Kings tying a towel about his waist and washing the dirty feet of arrogant, obstinate and ambitious disciples.
The ethical injunction is supported theologically by a quote from Proverbs 3:33b. This is the Septuagint version. The proverb is in a section of Proverbs 3 that instructs us to treat others fairly. The proverb promises that self-surrender is rewarded with richer supplies of divine grace than we could otherwise receive. Our human nature is infected with jealousy and power struggles with others, but humility will make it possible for God’s power and goodness to overpower those desires for His purposes.
Two things are necessary: take the action of submitting ourselves to God’s appointed authority and maintain an attitude of that recognizes the intrinsic value of others.
Philip Yancey records a letter he received from a woman in Grand Rapids who had experienced her church’s acts of submission and attitude of humility in the greatest time of her and her husband’s suffering. For seven years she cared for her husband who was a well-known musician. Her letter read:
Ever since the first symptoms of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) appeared over eight years ago, you have surrounded us with love and support. You have cheered us with innumerable notes and letters and cards, some hilarious, some profound, some just warm and caring, but all greatly valued.
You visited and you phoned, often from faraway places…. Many of you prepared and brought marvelous food which nourished our spirits as well as our bodies. You shopped and ran errands for us and repaired our broken and out-of-order things while yours waited. You swept and shoveled our walks, brought our mail, dumped our trash. It was possible for us to be a part of our church services because you recorded them. And you brought gifts of love, too many to count, to brighten our hours.
You “doctored”…and even repaired a tooth right here in our home. You did ingenious things that made life easier for both of us, like the “coughing jacket” and signal switch that Norm was able to use until the last few days of his life. You shared Scripture verses with us, and some of you made it your ministry to pray for those who came to our home regularly to give respiratory treatments. You made him feel like he was still a vital part of the music industry and of the church music ministry.
And how you prayed!!! Day after day, month after month, even year after year! Those prayers buoyed us up, lifted us through particularly hard places, gave us strength that would have been humanly impossible to have, and helped us to reach out on our own for God’s resources. Someday we’ll understand why Norm’s perfect healing did not take place here. But we do know that he was with us much longer and in much better condition than is the norm for an ALS victim. Love is not a strong enough word to tell you how we feel about you!
Because this woman’s church on countless occasions put her before themselves,
she was not tormented by doubts over whether God loved her. She sensed His love in their acts of submission and attitude of humility.
CONCLUSION
It is not uncommon for the sufferer to wonder, “Where is God when it hurts?” There are many answers to that question. One of those answers is He is with us now. Through His Spirit he bears us up through our pastors and relieves our suffering through His church. When both follow the example of Christ, believers remain faithful in suffering.
