Today we’ve chosen one of the primary passages in the New Testament detailing the sacred and noble task of the Pastor and Shepherd. This a charge for the pastor to keep; it explains some of the primary tasks of a Pastor. But it is not for the pastor alone, because there are some responsibilities that the people have as well. That leads me to ask two questions, “What is a pastor’s job, and what is our responsibility to him?” Those are questions we are going to answer today.
The Pastor’s Charge 1
It is a Divine Charge
The pastor has a “Sacred responsibility to perform a noble task.”
The Pastor should be an example of how a godly man should live.
It is a Divine Call
The pastor stands before God as His ambassador.
Men do not just decide to be pastors on their own, God calls them.
The pastor is an imperfect man serving a perfect Savior.
It has Divine Accountability
The pastor will receive special scrutiny.
“Teachers will receive a heavier judgment!” James 3:1
Elders will receive the unfading crown of glory. 1 Peter 5:4
The Pastor’s Task 2
Preach It!
The pastor’s #1 job is to speak for God.
Pastoral evaluation question: “Does the pastor preach the Word?”
Expository preaching makes the meaning of the Word clear.
Prepare it!
Be prepared and ready in season and out of season.
God’s man should be so deeply established in the Word, and when he bleeds bible.
Deliver it.
The sermon should be written to convince you of the truth.
The sermon should be written to correct and rebuke erroneous ideas.
The sermon should be written to encourage and build you up.
That job takes patience, because people take time to change.
We teach the whole council of God so that people will “get it!”
The Pastor’s Danger 3-4
People will disappoint us. People will fall away.
Our culture is in such chaos that truth is on the scaffold.
The Pastor’s Ethic 5
Sadly the ministry is filled with affliction and heartbreak.
A pastor should the work of an evangelist.
A pastor must fulfill the ministry.
God gave you a job to do, finish the job. Keep on keeping on. God is not finished with you yet. Keep preaching the Word, encouraging the saints, making disciples, and keep on sharing the Gospel. The job is not finished until God calls you home! Even if it seems doubtful that we will ever change the world, we need to be faithful in the place God has planted us. That’s what a pastor is called to do.
Today marks the beginning of a new era at Pine Grove. We’ve been praying, God has answered; In a resounding way. Today we install Pastor Craig Kinney and His wife Candy as our associate Pastor, and begin the transition which, God willing will culminate in a multitude of blessings, numerous people won to the Lord and great growth among God’s people.
And for our message today, we’ve chosen to consider one of the primary passages in the New Testament detailing the sacred and noble task of the Pastor and Shepherd. This a charge for Craig to keep; it explains some of the primary tasks of a Pastor.
But it is not for the pastor alone, because there are some responsibilities that the people have as well. That leads me to ask two questions, “What is a pastor’s job? (everybody seems to have an opinion) And what is our responsibility to him?” Those are questions we are going to answer today.
The Pastor’s Charge 1
It is a Divine Charge
Let me begin by saying that whatever the pastor’s responsibilities are, it is a charge. The word “charge” means a “Sacred responsibility, a solemn affirmation of duty, a divine trust, a noble task.” The Pastor stands behind a bully pulpit in one of the most vulnerable positions; as an example to men and women of how a godly man should live.
Craig and Candi, I charge you to affirm that you will carry out this sacred task in the power of the Holy Spirit, to best of your ability.
It is a Divine Call
The reason that it is sacred is because the pastor stands before God the God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as His ambassador. The pastor is called by God to speak for God. The ministry is not merely something an individual can do, but what he must do. To enter the pulpit, that necessity must be laid upon him by God. The pastor must have an inner compulsion to preach the Word. Men do not just decide to be pastors on their own, God calls them.
Who is worthy of that? There is no such thing as a perfect pastor. I am an imperfect pastor. Amen? Criag is an imperfect pastor. But you are imperfect people! That makes us a perfect match. There has never been a perfect church. There has never been a church without pastors with human flaws.
A pastor carries the weight of his own failures. And then a pastor carries the weight of the church’s apparent success, or failure. The pastor carries the burden of mental exhaustion, physical infirmity, declining attendance, interpersonal conflict, financial stress, family problems, false teaching, and a myriad of other issues that threaten to bury him in darkness. [i]
And pastor Craig. That means, if you are not called and sustained by God, you ain’t going to make it.
It has Divine Accountability
When the Lord Jesus Christ comes to judge the living and the dead, the pastor will receive special scrutiny. And for that there’s good news and bad news. James 3:1 reminds us, “Let not many of you become teachers, by brothers, knowing that we will receive a heavier judgment!” On the flip side, 1 Peter 5:4 says that “When the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory”
This is our charge to you today: Live up to your calling and live in such a way that Jesus will give you the thumbs up of a well done!
But there’s more…
The Pastor’s Task 2
The pastor has many tasks. He must be a mentor, a discipler, an administrator, a counselor, a motivator, a vision caster, an evangelist, a trainer, a teacher of children and adults, an expert in human behavior and the list goes on. But what is job #1 for the pastor? Here it is: A pastor speaks for God.
Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching
Preach It!
The Pastor should preach the Word!
If you ever go to another church, the first question you should ask is, “Does the pastor preach the Word?” He may be interesting, but that is not enough. He may tell great jokes and use captivating illustrations, but that is not enough! He may be a positive guy and be full of fire and life, but that is never enough. He needs to be anchored in the Word of God, or he’s not doing his job.
And by the way, what I mean by that is the he should make a regular practice of doing what is called, “expository preaching.” That means that his job is not just to preach a good Bible message. Expository preaching is deeper. It is using the Bible as his text to explain it, and let the Bible speak for itself. This kind of preaching is meant to expose the word to the listener, and shed light on it, so that when we are finished, you know what God has said. Preach the Word.
Prepare it!
Be ready in season and out of season.
Now what does that mean? ἐφίστημι ephistemi means that the Word is so ingrained in the individual that He is so deeply established in the Word, and when he bleeds he bleeds bible. Some translations say, be earnest, be urgent, keep going, be persistent, be fervent, be prepared.
No matter when the opportunity arises, preach it. In good times and in bad. When you have a house full, and when you don’t. When the message is popular, and when it’s not. Always be prepared.
Deliver it.
Convince, rebuke and exhort are three methods or directions a sermon can take; longsuffering is the attitude of the preacher, and teaching is something that should pervade all his sermons.
I am here to do everything in my power to convince you that this message about the pastor’s responsibility is one you need to take seriously. If you have any other opinion, I hope I change your mind. The pastor should preach to change minds.
I am here to correct erroneous ideas about the Word of God, and in this case to correct erroneous ideas about the job of the pastor. Sometimes the pastor must rebuke error.
I am here to encourage you and build you up. That’s what exhortation is all about. Sometimes we rebuke the sinner, and other times we encourage the saints! That too is the pastors job.
And that job takes patience, because in my experience people often take a long time to change. That’s why we must teach the whole counsel of God, because at some point, I know that the Holy Spirit is going to turn on a light bulb in your life, and you are going say, “I finally get it!”
The Pastor’s Danger 3
But Craig, as you well know, there are some dangers you will face! People will disappoint us. People will fall away, the time is coming when they will refuse to listen to the truth. Today is that day! Our culture is in such chaos that the world despises everything we hold sacred. Whether it be marriage, race, gender or truth, some people just won’t listen.
Instead, they will shout us down and flock to teachers who will tell them only what they want to hear. Why do they want to hear such fables? Because they love their sin and don’t want to be convicted about it. We can’t let the onslaught of the world discourage us! Be strong!
It would be nice if the ministry was all joy, happiness and accolades! Unfortunately, if we follow the example of Jesus or any of the Apostles, our ministry will be filled with persecution, shipwreck, trials and heartbreak.
The Pastor’s Ethic 3
That’s why you need to be watchful, and aware of everything going on around you so that you are ready for the bad times and afflictions when they come.
The bottom line? #1 do the work of an evangelist. Keep sharing the faith, no matter what. #2 Fulfill your ministry. Craig and Candi; God gave you a job to do, finish the job. Keep on keeping on. God is not finished with you yet. Keep preaching the Word, encouraging the saints, making disciples, and keep on sharing the Gospel. The job is not finished until God calls you home!
Even if it seems doubtful that we will ever change the world, we need to be faithful in the place God has planted us. Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the boy at the beach. The tide was out, and a man was walking down the beach. The man spotted a boy who was picking up star fish, one at a time, and throwing them in the water. The man watched for a while, and then asked, “what are you doing?” The boy replied I’m saving Star Fish. The man looked up and down the vast beach where a hundreds of star fish were stranded. He said, “There are too many of them! You’ll never make a difference to all these star fish!” The boy picked up another star fish and flung it in the water and said, “It made a difference to this one!”
Maybe you want reach all the star fish in the world, but you can make a difference to that one. And that’s how we roll. Keep preaching the Word, no matter the obstacles, no matter the peril, finish the job God has given you to do. Craig and Candi; that is your charge! That’s what a pastor is called to do.
[i] https://www.churchtrac.com/articles/the-7-most-pressing-issues-facing-pastors-today
According to ChurchTrac, some of the most pressing issues facing pastors today include: Pastoral burnout, Mental health challenges, Rapidly changing social issues, Declining attendance, and Financial stress
Lifeway Research found over half of all pastors › report sustained levels of stress, and over a quarter report feelings of loneliness. What makes this issue more difficult is that it’s two-fold. Pastors have to manage their own mental wellbeing, while acting as quasi-mental health professionals for their congregations. Ministers provide pastoral care to congregants dealing with mental health issues like stress, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse in addition to balancing their own mental and spiritual health.