Shepherding the Flock of God - Dr. Tom Ascol

And an honor to be with you these last couple of days and in this it's an honor to be invited and Quatro, thank you for that and enjoyed some of the conversations

I've been able to have as well with you especially pastors to hear some of the about some of the things God's doing in your churches.

It's just a reminder that the kingdom of God is always bigger than any of us have personal experience with and God's always doing more than we can ever measure and what what

Mike preached this last time is always true, isn't it? We don't know, we don't know and so our charge and responsibility is to do what

God's called us to do as faithfully as we can as long as he keeps us at it.

Well we've already heard over the last couple of days references to and even a message from Acts chapter 20 where Paul's rehearsing what he did when he was in Ephesus as he called those elders from the church in Ephesus to meet him at Miletus.

And this morning for our last session I want to return to that passage Acts chapter 20.

It contains that farewell address that the apostle gives to those men that he knew very very well.

Pastor Mike read the first part of that address beginning in verse 17 last night and he stopped at verse 27 and what

I want to do is look at verse 28 this morning but I want to start reading in verse 28 to read down through the end of that section.

This passage verse 28 particularly is a word of exhortation.

It's something that Paul is saying to these men that he knew well.

Most likely men that he himself as an apostle during the three -year ministry there in Ephesus appointed to their responsibility to shepherd that local congregation and this is one of the most poignant scenes we have in all of the

New Testament as Paul knows that this is going to be the last time he ever sees these guys and so his message has significance because of that relationship and what is coming.

So let's start in verse 28 of Acts chapter 20 and I'll read down through verse 35 so follow along as I read aloud the word of God.

Pay 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.

I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away disciples after them.

Think about that for a moment. I mean Paul's looking these guys in the eye men that he knows he knows well and he may have had already an awareness of who it was that he's looking at that's going to do this but I've tried to imagine what must that have been like for those men.

I mean they're there Paul esteemed apostle and he's saying man savage wolves are going to come to the flock you've got to protect them and from among your own number what a scene.

He goes on and he says therefore verse 31 be alert remembering that for three years

I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears and 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.

I coveted no man's silver or gold or apparel you yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who are with me in all things

I've 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's more blessed to give than to receive.

Well this passage this whole section is filled with instruction with insight with important information for the lives of local churches and the lives of pastors of those churches.

I want to point out that in this passage Paul is addressing the elders from the church at Ephesus but in doing so we find all three words that describe that one office that we typically refer to as pastors.

So let me point them out to you in verse 17 he calls for these men these leaders in the church and they are there called elders if you're familiar with that word it's presbyteros and that's the word from which presbyterian or presbyterianism comes from and then in verse 28 he uses the other two words one is the word that is for translated in our

ESV as care it's a word for shepherd or for pastor and then the third word is translated overseers and again you can hear the denominations that have taken this word it's episkopos the episcopal denomination for bishop or overseers and so it's clear here as it is also in first Peter chapter 5 verses 1 through 5 where these same three words are used of the same people that a pastor is an elder is a bishop they're not three different offices there's one office and Paul is addressing these elders as one's responsible to do the work of pastoring and overseeing or of shepherding and being bishops well his admonition is expressed in terms of an imperative verb in verse 28 that is a command and in its most basic form it's a charge to those men to shepherd the flock of God to shepherd the church of God in the

ESV that I read from it comes across this way pay careful attention in other words watch out carefully to care for the church of God that phrase to care for relates directly back to that verb pay careful attention it indicates the purpose for which that admonition or that command is given so we could put it like this

Paul is saying pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock so that or in order that you might care for the church of God so what do we learn from this verse well it's simply this that God gives pastors to churches in order to care for the welfare of his people that's the job assignment that is given to elders bishops pastors

Paul employs language here that exhorts them to duty care for the church of God well let's think about that for a moment as pastors must comprehensively care for God's church that word to care for is a word that expresses the comprehensiveness of the responsibility it's a word that in its noun form is usually translated shepherd it's the word that we get pastor from in our

English rendering of that office that responsibility sometimes there are

English translations that simply take the verb form of that noun shepherd and translate it in the

English verb form to shepherd shepherd the church the word means to lead with the implication of providing for to guide to help to take care of it's a word that is really a metaphor for the work that leaders in the church are to give themselves to it has a broad understanding of the duties that are enjoined and placed upon such men and Paul employs the word here to underscore the comprehensiveness of the work that elders are required to do in local churches it's compared to the work that a literal shepherd would do out in the fields with a literal flock of sheep they're responsible to guide those sheep to guard them to gather them to feed the flock in a similar way pastors elders are to care for the church of Christ the church of God with all of these responsibilities what do we learn from that well we learn that the work of elders pastors bishops is work that is full -time it's ongoing

I mean you think about again the analogy of a literal shepherd what was his life like it's not a nine -to -five job it's not something where you clock in and you clock out it doesn't have narrowly defined responsibilities it includes feeding so the people under the care of a literal of a shepherd in the church are to look to that shepherd to be guided for spiritual nourishment just the way the sheep out on the hillside for their literal shepherd were responsible for his leadership in pastors that would bring them nourishment he's to lead a church take them down proper paths help the church to think principally biblically in ways that honor the

Lord when decisions must be taken so that as questions are weighed and options are considered the overarching concern in making the final decision is what is it that would most honor our

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ shepherds are responsible in congregations to protect them to protect them again

Paul's own words to these elders I know savage wolves are going to come

I know from among your own number again what a sobering thought to know that as shepherds of a church we must love the church enough and be willing to protect the church enough that even if one from our leadership were to go rogue that we have the responsibility to stand against that one with whom perhaps we've locked arms in common cause for years because God has placed this responsibility of protecting the flock on our shoulders

I mean think about David when he was describing to King Saul his qualifications for going up against the giant he said look

I've tended my father's sheep and I've saved them from the lion I've saved them from the bear well pastors have a similar responsibility to protect the people under their care and sometimes what that means is we actually do have to call names of the wolves and the false prophets that are among us sometimes we have to say as bluntly and plainly to our people as we can that they must not listen to this teacher they must not give themselves to this movement because to do so will result in their spiritual devastation not only does

Paul warn these Ephesian elders of impending dangers we see this similar warning given in first Peter chapter 5 verse 8 when he speaks to those fellow elders about the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour pastors have to be aware of the unseen spiritual realities that are taking place day in and day out it's not just the world's influence that's certainly true it's there it's not just remaining sin yeah that's certainly true but we have a personal powerful enemy there are demons in the world and they hate

God's people and they would destroy God's people they would destroy Christian families parents there are demons who want your children they want to devour your children and they'll use educational institutions to do it they'll use

Disney to do it they'll use public libraries to do it we have to be aware of these things and pastors especially have to be alert to them to take the word of God seriously and to help our people to live in this world with understanding of the dangers that the world is fraught with the work of leading and shepherding the church is a work that Paul says is to be directed to all the flock do you see that all the flock what this means pastors is that whatever church

God has placed you in each and every member is to benefit from your shepherding work we can't pick and choose you can't be like an

NFL football team and trade players you know sometimes you might want to regardless of how awkward or difficult a person might be and there are difficult sheep they're awkward sheep and we all we all have our little quirks don't we but but there are some awkward sheep and I love

Pilgrim's Progress and one of the reasons I love it is the way Bunyan so wonderfully helpfully describes different people on the way to the celestial city they're not all great heart they're not all valiant for truth you got

Mr. Fearing and Little Faith and others that you think they're never going to make it but but they make it but they make it with the help of those shepherds that God gives to get

God's people safely home and it's what it's what we've been enlisted for it's what

God put us in the ministry for and we're to shepherd all the flock to care for all the flock

Jesus sets before us a model in the way that he is the shepherd of his people in John chapter 10 you remember what he said said my sheep they hear my voice they follow me

I call them by name I call them by name brothers as those who are given responsibility to serve in local churches we ought to smell like sheep we ought to be with our people and know our people pray for our people pray for them individually know their lives much of what is involved in this task of of shepherding caring for the church is a commitment to carry out the work in the spirit which is required and what is that spirit well it can be seen by recognizing that God himself is described as the shepherd of his people read psalm 23 and think about how

God shepherds his people and realize that we've been put into that same business in local churches read psalm 77 and see in verse 20 how

God describes himself as a shepherd there see in John 10 how Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep hear how

Peter in first Peter 2 describes Jesus as the shepherd of our souls and Hebrews 13 20 says that he's the great shepherd of the sheep we are called to pay careful attention to the congregation that God entrusts to our care in a comprehensive way it's a matter of stewardship as well we've been commissioned we've been commissioned it's the church of God Paul says he says in which the

Holy Spirit has made as a pastor carries out his calling of shepherding the flock of God he must be very clear of about his own standing in that church he's been given an assignment by God God placed him there the church may have called him the church may have gone through things to put him there but he's

God's man for that congregation and the church needs to understand that and the pastor needs to understand that because what that means is that there must be a very clear awareness and a very careful handling of the authority that goes with that office anyone who reads the

Bible honestly and especially these New Testament passages about shepherding the flock knows that the office of an overseer a pastor an elder carries with it authority there has to be authority that goes with that office such men in the office are commanded to care for the church of God and it can't be done without exercising authority authority so churches and pastors need to recognize how vitally important it is that the nature of this authority comes from God to the pastor it's vested authority it's not inherent authority and there's a radical difference inherent authority is what

Michael Jordan had or Kobe Bryant had or Shaquille O 'Neal when they decided to dunk a basketball so if they wanted to dunk a basketball it really doesn't matter who tries to stop them

Shaquille O 'Neal wants to dunk a basketball you just can either get out of his way or try to stop him and pay the price because he's going to dunk a basketball so the commentators oh he threw that ball down with authority it's inherent authority vested authority or delegated authority is what that 110 pound police officer has when he goes and stands out on the highway and puts his hand up and all of these tractor trailers stop

I mean if they didn't stop they'd run over him he'd die but he can stop these multi -ton vehicles by virtue of the badge that he wears that is representative of the government that has appointed him invested him with authority pastors elders have authority but it's delegated it's vested from the

Lord Jesus himself and the nature of that authority delegated not inherent dictates the manner in which the authority is to be discharged so we see here that pastors fulfill their responsibilities as men among men you see the way the

ESV puts this in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers not over which though there is a real sense in which pastors are over the flock in terms of responsibilities but they must nevertheless remember that they've been chosen by God from among his people they are not an exalted class above the rest of the people they're not some kind of distinct and superior class of person their authority is official not personal it is vested not inherent now that's vital for both churches and pastors to recognize brothers don't ever let yourself fall into a way of thinking that you ought to be followed and that people ought to respect you because you're smarter than they are because you know more because you studied longer or you're somehow inherently more spiritual put all those thoughts to death number one it may not be true at all but your responsibilities are not dependent upon any of that being true your responsibilities are dependent upon God calling you investing you with the authority to do what you're called to do and so God forbid that any pastor would parade himself or think himself to be inherently superior to our fellow church members we must not act like it's true we must remember that even though we're pastors we're also sheep what we are seeking to provide for the congregation we ourselves need so don't set yourself up as somehow removed from the very life and daily struggles that are inherent in the life of discipleship pastors struggle with temptations pastors have to repent of sin pastors need divine strength and wisdom just like everybody else pastors are frail creatures of dust just like the weakest member of the church a pastor is a man among men he's also appointed by God he functions as one in whom the church recognizes the call and equipping of God so when a pastor takes the responsibility to serve a congregation he should do so with a sober awareness that it is

God himself who's placed him in this position and therefore he is a man under authority which means therefore he is accountable to God he's appointed by God to serve the church that belongs to God it is

God's church therefore a pastor's work is a matter of stewardship he's a steward

Hebrews 13 17 is something that ought to be rotating in our minds pretty regularly as elders as shepherds as pastors of local churches that we do our jobs as men who one day must give an account we're going to stand before God and give an account for how we have preached his word for how we've counseled for how we have cared for his people how we've admonished where necessary corrected where necessary comforted when necessary all the things that God calls pastors to do he calls us to do with an understanding that one day we will stand before him to give an account we do so then not as lords but as servants we serve not as chief shepherds but knowing that we have a chief shepherd and we are his under shepherds and when pastors exercise the authority which

God has vested in the office we have no business doing so in an authoritarian way it's not listen to me

I'm the pastor of this church it is listen to the Lord Jesus Christ I am his emissary

I am the one that he has placed here to help you for the welfare of your soul and in the name of Christ for his sake

I plead with you to heed what he says it's hard to see how this point could be misunderstood when you take seriously what

Peter writes in first Peter chapter 5 let me just read to you a few of those verses listen to the way he exhorts fellow elders and even the fact that he calls them fellow elders

Peter's an apostle he could say as an apostle of Jesus Christ but as he thinks about his relationship to these churches he says as a fellow elder so Peter himself is thinking about his own role as a steward in caring for flocks of God he says in verse 1 so I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed and here it is shepherd the flock of God that is among you exercising oversight not under compulsion but willingly as God would have you not for shameful gain but eagerly not domineering over those in your charge

I'm the pastor you got to listen to me but being examples to the flock and when the chief shepherd appears you will receive the unfading crown of glory the work that God entrusts to the men that are appointed to serve local congregations is to care for his people in a comprehensive way but how is that to be done what specifically does that entail well we've touched on some of the specific tasks that pastors are performed but in the first part of 28

Paul specifically mentions two major concerns that simply cannot be neglected if God's people are to be properly shepherded look at them the care that we are to exercise must be executed by focusing on these two major responsibilities the method of fulfilling our responsibilities and the main are summarized in this little phrase pay careful attention to and there's one word behind that phrase and it's a word that means to be very scrupulous and attentive and watchful concerning the things that are being set before these elders he admonishes the elders to be scrupulous to be especially careful over two large areas of responsibility yourselves and the flock and notice that they are to do this for the purpose of shepherding

God's church now I want to consider both of these responsibilities but look at them in the opposite order that Paul sets them forth so first he says pay careful attention to the flock at least first as we'll consider it what is the flock well first of all it's a flock it's not a herd and so Paul here is thinking through this metaphor this analogy of shepherding and you can't push that too far and I wouldn't want to do that but there is a difference between how a flock of sheep are to be cared for and how a herd of cattle are to be cared for some of you know this far better than I do you drive cattle right but you lead sheep sheep are vulnerable sheep have to be more meticulously watched after and notice it's a particular flock it's the one here at Ephesus that he's talking to these men about but the one to whom

God has given these specific men to lead at these specific this specific time it's a divinely possessed flock it's the church of God it belongs to him so think about how

God treats his own people what's God's attitude toward his people well he's a

God of love toward his people he provides for his people how does the chief shepherd treat his own sheep he's patient he's loving he's kind just think about your own life and and how long suffering

Jesus Christ has been with you and brothers he is our example in how we are to care for these particular people in this church what are the needs of this particular flock that's a question that pastors ought to be thinking about as we preach and as we teach as we lead what is it that these this people needs well there's some general needs that every church needs at all times and so it doesn't matter where you are or when you are you can be sure that there are basic common needs they need to be fed

God's word they need to be protected from the evils in the world they need to be warned about the strategies of the enemy who would destroy them but there are particular needs of particular flocks as well we get this by reading the

New Testament letters the church at Ephesus says some things that the church the letter to the church at Ephesus says some things that the letter to the church at Corinth says but there are some particular things as well because there's peculiar settings there are peculiar people in those churches and so in our churches there will be peculiar needs there's some things in South Florida that we face that we have need of that in Central Arkansas you don't

I don't I doubt that you've had deacons meetings and planning out what to do in the threat of or wake of a hurricane but we we have those meetings and our deacons have plans about those things because it's a particular need of that particular congregation but then within every congregation there are particular sheep who have special needs as well in every church in every church there will be some sheep there who have been fleeced in other churches there'll be some who are sick some who've taken up in fields of loco weed and they need healthy food and they need to be recovered they're strong sheep young sheep dying sheep and so a true pastor like a faithful literal shepherd will study his flock will think through the needs of the church will pray for those people and seek to properly care for them so pay attention to the church but the second thing which

Paul mentions first is pay careful attention to yourselves I've reserved it for second for the same reason that Paul put it first for emphasis for emphasis what is

Paul saying here by putting it first he's saying the man is more important than the ministry the man's more important than the ministry brothers if we lose sight of that we can very easily slip into patterns of performance and doing things thinking that the ministry needs it while neglecting our own hearts our own souls what is a pastor he's an overseer he's a leader as I've said a man among men he's both a shepherd and a sheep he's a minister among priests because we believe rightly so in the priesthood of all believers he's a ruler among kings he is a man who not only carries out the responsibility of pastoring of people he's a man who needs to be pastored as well every pastor needs a pastor it's one of the geniuses of God in establishing a plurality of leadership in churches and I know some of your churches don't have that and and some of them don't have it yet because I've talked to some of you and you're you're moving toward that praise

God the word elder in relationship to churches I don't think appears in the singular anywhere in the

New Testament it's always plural whenever it's tied to a local church and again

I wouldn't say that if you don't have a plurality of elders you're not a true church can't be faithful pastor it's not that at all

I'm just saying this is the New Testament pattern and there's wisdom in it there's wisdom in a plurality of leadership so I would encourage every pastor to work toward that pray for that ask

God to raise up other men who are qualified that the congregation will recognize who can link arms together with you to shepherd the flock of God I mean we see it even in the apostle

Paul you read in 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 when Paul describes being fraught with difficulties without and fears within and then

God helped him by sending him Titus he needed that you read in Philippians chapter 2 about the discouragement that Paul went through and how he got sick and he

Epaphroditus was there with him to bring him comfort and had Epaphroditus died he said it would have been sorrow upon sorrow 2nd

Timothy 4 21 the last letter we have from Paul in the New Testament he tells Peter or tells

Timothy look come to me soon and come to me before winter winter's going to be hard I want a brother with me here there's no shame in that sense of loneliness and that sense of longing for fellow brothers who will link arms in shepherding the church of God with you and so pray for it churches pray for your pastors pray that God will raise up a plurality of leaders to shepherd the church well how does a pastor pay careful attention to himself well one to never forget that he like his people is a sheep he's redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ he needs to grow in grace he needs to grow in spiritual disciplines he needs to mortify sin in his life he needs the forgiveness of Christ every day the best thing you can do for your church brothers is to strive to be a better Christian seek to grow in God's grace daily it's a curse on a church to have pastors who put their call to ministry above their discipleship who think that being a pastor is more important more significant than being a

Christian he becomes more concerned with public duties than private more dedicated to the ministry than to Christ well what's the relationship between this responsibility paying careful attention to yourself and the whole work of shepherding

I want you to underscore the fact that this is part and parcel of the work of shepherding it goes hand in hand with it but beyond that this work of paying careful attention to yourself is the most neglected duty among pastors it's a sad state of modern ministry that testifies to this but it is not unique to our day this has been the case for as long as the church of Jesus Christ has been in the world listen to what

Charles Spurgeon says on this he tells about the man who preached so well and lived so badly that it was when he was in the pulpit everybody said he should never come out again and when he was out of the pulpit they all declared he should never enter into it again one thing publicly another thing privately this is also the most important duty of the pastor

I can be a faithful Christian and not be a pastor

I can get fired tomorrow I can still be a faithful Christian I cannot be a faithful pastor without being a faithful Christian the priority is my relationship with Christ and then my relationship to the church and if I get those out of order then

I not only do detriment to my own soul I also do detriment to the church every pastor is called to be an example to the flock so what does that mean it means that one of the best things

I can do for my church is to be a real Christian and act like it it's to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus prayed for his disciples in John 17 17 sanctify them by your truth your word is truth so as pastors we ought to regularly measure our lives by what the

Bible calls Christians to be am I praying am I a praying man or do

I just pray professionally what is my private life like am

I growing in grace do I desire to grow in grace am I measuring my life to understand how the only rightful demeanor for me to have is a demeanor of true humility what would happen in our church if the whole church followed the lead of their pastors what would happen would there be more prayer would there be more joy would there be more evangelism

I love what Jerry Bridges says on this point a man who cannot convince himself to be holy will have little hope of succeeding in convincing others to be holy pay careful attention to yourself mortify your sin deal with your heart we recognize that the spiritual health not only of our own lives but the church depends upon this admonition

Paul says it again in 1st Timothy chapter 4 verse 16 where he writes this keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching doctrine life and then listen to the promise persist in this for by doing so you will save both yourself and your hearers it's the only promise

I know of in the Bible that guarantees evangelistic success you'll save your hearers if you watch your doctrine and your life and it's a lot easier to watch your doctrine than your life the task the challenge the hard work is watching your life it is the most difficult duty that pastors have pretty regularly

I'm asked by younger pastors especially what I find to be the most difficult part of pastoral ministry and the answer isn't something

I have to sit down and think about it's been the same for 45 years the most difficult part of pastoral ministry is dealing with my own heart it's bringing the word of God and the power of the

Spirit of God to bear upon my mind my affections in ways that my life is reflecting the truth that I believe about a crucified and risen

Savior this is warfare it's warfare listen to what

John Flavel one of the Puritans wrote he said it's easier to declaim like an orator against a thousand sins and others than to mortify one sin and ourselves to be more industrious in our pulpits than in our closets to preach 20 sermons to our people than one to our own hearts professionalism is a snare that we must avoid in ministry the song of Solomon chapter 1 verse 6 the

Shulamite laments that while she has gone out and tended the vineyards of others she's neglected her own vineyard brothers we must fight hard to guard against that malady

Henry Martin was a 19th missionary to India listen to what he writes about this regarding fellow missionaries he says

I see how great are the temptations of a missionary to neglect his own soul apparently outwardly employed for God my heart has been growing more hard and proud let me be taught that the first great business on earth is the sanctification of my own soul so shall

I be rendered more capable also of performing the duties of the ministry in a holy solemn manner

I wish I could tell you I know nothing of what

Henry Martin writes about but it's simply not true it's simply not true after a while as you preach and you counsel and you lead there are things that just become familiar to you things that you're more comfortable with and the temptation is great just to do it on autopilot just to kind of phone it in because you know how to do it you know what's expected you know how to get by and to give in to the temptations that come to operate that way is deadly it's deadly for your own soul it's deadly for the congregation listen to what

Richard Baxter said about this in his wonderful little book the reformed pastor he said it is a fearful thing to be an unsanctified professor but much more to be an unsanctified preacher does it not make you tremble when you open the bible lest you should read there the sentence of your own condemnation when you pin your sermons little do you think that you're drawing up indictments against your own souls when you're arguing against sin that you're aggravating your own he goes on oh miserable life that a man should study and preach against himself and spend his days in a course of self -condemnation a graceless inexperienced preacher is one of the most unhappy creatures upon earth to preach something that you've not experienced to commend that which you are not taking for yourself

Baxter goes on if such a wretched man would take my counsel he would make a stand and call his heart and life to an account and fall a preaching a while to himself before he preached any more to others it's good practice to preach to yourself to take the word that God has given you and the word that you're to serve up to your people and to plead that the spirit of God would show you search you examine and equip you to respond to what

God himself has entrusted to you to feed to others oh may

God prevent us from being hypocrites in this office and may God humble us to be men who are committed to being faithful Christians before we are engaged pastors to pay careful attention to ourselves well pastors must comprehensively care for Christ's churches this consists in two duties paying careful attention to the flock and themselves and then finally and briefly this care must be motivated by God's own trinitarian interest in the flock do you see the trinity in verse 28 there what will keep a man persevering in this hard work recognizing that God himself father son spirit is fully vested in this congregation

God's personal claim of the congregation is seen in the way

Paul describes it as the church of God God the father's church

God provides direct provision for the church the Holy Spirit has made you the spirit cares for the church we see the costly purchase of this church with a reference to the son of God he purchased it with his own blood with his own blood these are the ones for whom

Christ died Paul employs that very argument in both

Romans 14 and first Corinthians 8 when he admonishes Christians to bear with one another not to exercise their liberties in ways that will give needless offense to fellow church members and in both of those places he says really really will you cause to stumble the one for whom

Christ died as pastors we should be regularly thinking about our members and and seeing them as part of the church that God purchased with his own blood that Jesus Christ shed his blood to redeem again listen to Richard Baxter he says oh then let us hear these arguments of Christ whenever we feel ourselves grow dull and careless and here he quotes

Christ did I die for the these souls and wilt thou not look after them were they worth my blood and are they not worth thy labor did

I come down from heaven to earth to seek and to save that which was lost and wilt thou not go next door or down the street or village to seek them how small is thy condescension condescension and labor compared to mine

I debased myself to this but it is thy honor to be so employed have

I done and suffered so much for their salvation and was I willing to make thee a fellow worker with me and thou refuse to do that little which lieth upon thy hands when dealing with difficult awkward sheep church members that are going astray or not listening or not respecting making your life doubly hard and you're tempted to just wash your hands and wish they just go away we need to remember

Jesus purchased these people with his blood he has called me to this ministry he's put me in this church at this time for the welfare of these people brothers it's a wonderful and difficult calling that we've been given and we should pursue it with an awareness of the incredible privilege and responsibility that it is and seek to pursue it with zeal and pray that God would help us to pursue it with joy it's an amazing thing that God would take the likes of us and put us in the ministry that's incredible I sometimes just want to pinch myself to think that I actually get paid to preach

God's word people are willing to go and work hard and give their money so that I can be sustained in order to study the word to minister the word to help them get to heaven what an incredible privilege that is that God would do that so we must take heed to ourselves to our families and to the flock which the

Lord has given us to shepherd we must live what we preach we must trust

Christ for our own souls and proclaim him to our congregations and remember that we are