A Life Pleasing to God: You Need a Shepherd

Pastor Fletcher preaches from 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 about needing a spiritual shepherd to guide us. Discussion points: We need guidance in our spiritual lives rather than just figuring things out ourselves; qualifications for a shepherd of the church include humility, leadership in their family, and repentance; God is our chief shepherd who we can follow wholeheartedly.

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  Scripture reader: [1 Thessalonians 5:12-13] We ask you brothers to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

  This is the word of the Lord.

  Preacher: Alright, two simple verses this morning, pretty easy to explain. we've been working through First Thessalonians. Let's just dive in. Verse 12, we ask you brothers to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you. So Paul is just telling the church in Thessalonica to respect. And he has 3 different descriptors, and it's not describing 3 different groups of people. It's describing one group of people that do 3 different things. So he's describing a group of people who labor among the church, who are over you in the Lord, and who admonish you. He is just 3 parts described in the same person, same group of people, and this is like kind of obviously like pastors, elders, leaders in a church, right? That's that's who's doing these things, who's warning them, who's admonishing them, who's over them and who is leading them.

  Verse 13, and to esteem them very highly in love, because of their work. And so he just continues and says, so you are to respect these people and you're to esteem them, and so he's telling the members of the church at Thessalonica, to respect their pastors and esteem them very highly in love. And so it's easy for you all to see why this passage is my favorite passage. And all the scripture. Respect me, love me, esteem me. All right, thus sayeth the Lord.

  I, as much as I do love that application of this passage, I guess there's some truth to it, but the The real point is, is much deeper, I think for us today, and here's what God is wanting you to hear. You need a shepherd. You need a shepherd. The scripture oftentimes compares us to lost sheep. In need of a savior, in need of a shepherd. You may feel like your life is all put together, you may feel like you've got this thing under control, you may feel like you know the best next steps, you may feel like you don't need anyone. But you need a shepherd. In today's world, people are hesitant to trust pastors, and I understand why this is. There are many pastors who do not deserve your respect and love. Every week it seems like there's a new scandal about involving some pastor in the world.

  Not only that, but there are a ton of pastors who feel called to ministry so that they might get the respect and esteem that this passage is talking about. Have you ever met a pastor like that who's so hungry for the love from his congregation that he forgets that he's called by God to sometimes say things to his congregation. Earlier this week, I came across an interview that a comedian, Tom Arnold, who I only know is the guy that was married to Roseanne in the 90s. That's the only way I know who he is, but I came across this interview from Tom Arnold after he had written a book called How I Lost 5 Pounds in Six Years. The interviewer, I guess that's funny, so maybe he's a funny guy. The interviewer asked why he had written the book and his response was astoundingly honest.

  He stated that most entertainers are in show business, not because they have a passion for acting, but because they are broken people looking for affirmation. And he said this, the reason I wrote this book is because I really wanted something out there. So, I really wanted something out there so people would tell me they liked me. It's the reason behind almost everything I do. How honest is that? I saw Scott Saulz, another pastor, say that if you replace comedian with pastor and show business with ministry, you get exactly the same person with the same issues, only a different setting and career path. That so many pastors get in the business of becoming a pastor, so that they can get what they most so much want and need, which is the affirmation of other people.

  And so I want to show you that this, this, this, this passage has valves on it, OK? It only moves in one direction. You as a pastor, you serve to admonish and to to serve as the Lord has called you to be over a group of people, to shepherd them, to care for them, to teach them, as called by God. And you you you do often times receive respect and and honor, but you only do it as you're called by God. You do not do it from receiving honor. The honor is only the, it's the evidence of the thing that you're doing that is not for the thing that you're doing, that you have an alternative purpose, which is, you desire for people to understand who Jesus is and for you to communicate clearly the gospel of Christ.

  Another reason, and so let me just say, you need a pastor, once again, you need a shepherd, you need a pastor. Another reason why people are resistant to the idea that they need a shepherd is this. We live in a world where we feel like we don't need professionals at all. with, in a world with YouTube. And Chat GPT, why do you need any professional? Six years ago, we bought a house and my kitchen looked like something out of a Stephen King novel and so, we, we got, I got all of my friends, many of you were there probably, and probably not, not many of you, a couple of you were there and. And we ripped all the walls out of the kitchen and I went home that night and it was just a mess. I went home that night and just stared at my ceiling in my bedroom and thought, oh God, what have I done? I have no idea how to put this thing back together. I've, I've destroyed it. And so what did I do? But every Friday night I watched hours of YouTube as I downloaded the information necessary to do the next day's work on Saturday.

  How many of us have gone to the YouTube university to become an expert in something that we previously were not an expert in? How many of us might go to chat GBT and might even use chat GBT as a counselor to say Chat GPT, you are my counselor. Now I, I'm not trying to give you any ideas, OK? Probably not the best counselor actually Chat BBC can do a pretty good job, but better than some real counselors that I've seen. We, we were resistant to this idea that we need professionals at all, but here's one thing that I've observed after living in in the Boston area for 13 years. When I first moved here, I was really intimidated because, you know, you guys go to Harvard and MIT and stuff and like where, where I came from I had only, I had only met one person in my entire life that had gone to an Ivy League school before I moved to the Boston area. Now like there is someone that went to an Ivy League school on every row in this in this place at least.

  OK, like so many, so many really really intelligent people around here and so I was intimidated but what I, what I was amazed by when I got here was how really, really smart people are actually just sometimes dumb. Like you can have a PhD in molecular biology, but that doesn't mean that you know how to, you know, fold a table. Like I've seen it happen. Where people are like, I just don't understand the physics of how this arm can go into the table. I know some auto mechanics in Mississippi who have a greater breadth of general knowledge than some of you all who go to Harvard.

  But you know what that actually reveals? And what what's nice about living in the Boston area is people are hesitant to speak on topics that they are not an expert in and people know what topics they're an expert in generally and they know that it is like the most nuanced small thing that they actually have contributed to at all in the in their field and so people have this kind of humility about them it's like the smarter you are, the more you know that you don't know. And so you're hesitant to speak on topics that you're not an expert in.

  But friends, if you wouldn't speak on topics that you're not an expert in in your academic field or in your work life, why would you assume that you can be your own spiritual guide? That you can be an expert in your own spiritual life. You see, too many people approach their spirituality as if it's something that they need no guidance on. That they can just figure out on their own and what they end up doing is getting kind of an a la carte approach where they they might go through the buffet line and be like, I'll take a little bit of this and a little bit of that and it's not catered, it's not, it's not thought out really completely. They're just kind of grabbing things that look good, but friends, you need a shepherd. And a shepherd can guide you through each and every one of those things.

  Many of us are functioning like the proverbial man who won't ask for directions. We're functioning like the frustrating patient who will not follow the care of the doctor, when it's just very clear what they need to do to move forward. You need a shepherd, you cannot lead yourself spiritually. But I get it I get it. Churches are oftentimes led by people that don't seem like someone you want to follow. The modern church has reduced the role of pastor from spiritual shepherd under shepherd of Christ, from spiritual shepherd to entertainer.

  Just this week, I was scrolling through Instagram and I saw a pastor shooting basketball on stage. Anybody else see this? Shooting basketball on stage for like 5 minutes before he gave any sort of sermon. I saw a pastor, it may have been the same one, ride in on a stage on a homemade roller coaster. I saw a different pastor get up on stage. And do dumbbell bench presses. For repetition. I don't know what point he was making, but when we've reduced the pastor down to an entertainer, it's easy to understand why people might switch churches or go from one show to the next, like they might change the channel. Like I don't like what this guy is saying, what this clown over here is saying because we've really reduced the pastor to a clown for entertainment sake. I mean, you might as well put a a nose on some of those guys that I saw on Instagram and a big wig and everything.

  But we've, when we've reduced the role of a pastor to an entertainer, then he's not there to, to be a spiritual guide. He's there to, to entertain me. And so when I'm not being entertained or I don't like what he has to say, I move on to the next church. But you need. A shepherd. You need a shepherd. And you need one of these shepherds who's not about building a name for themselves. Too often shepherds, the pastors of churches are about building their own name.

  And this is one reason why I love Eugene Peterson. if you're unfamiliar with Eugene Peterson, you probably know the message translation of the Bible, which was somewhat controversial like 20 years ago, but he was a prolific author, a well known pastor, in his day, and wrote all kinds of things and was very popular, but he committed to never pastor a large church. In a time when mega churches were thriving, Eugene Peterson said, I never want to pastor a church so large where I can't know the name of every member. And that's just inspiring to me that he would say the church matters that much. I want to be a shepherd for these people. And now I wish I could make the same commitment. I'm not sure I'll ever have the opportunity to pastor a church larger than that, but. It's just a beautiful idea of what it means to resist the urge for more for me, and continue to be faithful to what God has called you to in that one place.

  I'm honored that you would be here this morning. I'm honored that you would be willing to listen to what I have to say. Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve that honor, and if you're, if you're a committed member of this church, I'm honored that you would allow me to be your pastor. I don't always feel qualified for it, but God has me here and I'll keep going as long as he does. But if you're still church shopping or maybe you're moving soon, let me just emphasize this, you need a church. One pastor at least, a group of pastors, ideally, that you can trust. And the character of the pastor who teaches most often is oftentimes replicated throughout the church, right? Have you seen that? Where if you see a church led by someone who is super egotistical, who is domineering, that's gonna make ripple effects through the church.

  So as you're looking for a church to plug into, if you're church shopping, we would love to have you here, but it, but there's other good churches in Boston for sure. If you find a church that has a pastor who's self-obsessed with the glory and respect the pastor can get them, you're gonna find a church with an ugly culture. And so let me just, I mean, First Timothy gives us qualifications for a pastor. Let me modernize them just a little bit. You the if I read the qualifications, it's gonna feel stale. So let me just modernize it a little bit.

  When you visit a church, one of the questions you need to be asking is, does this church, is it led by a pastor or pastors? Who are humble. Does this person seem humble? Does he seem like a good dad? Seriously, that's one of the qualifications. And I say that with fear and trembling, OK? I'm not perfect in any means. Is he a good husband if he has a wife and a good dad if he has kids? Does he apparently love Christ and want to serve him? And want to point me to him, is he faithfully teaching God's word in a way that it comes alive for me. And if the answer is no to any of those questions, I think I phrased them all in the, in the right order to say no to all of them, but. You should go somewhere else. I mean maybe you maybe you're already in a church and you're a member there and you just address it and you talk to them and maybe you see repentance and that is like above all things repentance, like someone who, who will go to the Lord, who will repent and so that's more important, you know, even if life's a mess, my life's a mess often. But repentance, someone that will continue to seek after Christ.

  I mean, I'm less humble than I would like to be. I'm not the father I always want to be. I can be a bit argumentative. From time to time. I've never had the joy of having a lot of money and so therefore I do not even know if I'm qualified with the love of money or not. what would happen if we had a lot? I don't know. But I approach being your pastor with fear and trembling, Christ be my help.

  We ask you brothers to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work, be at peace among yourselves. So let me ask you, Who is keeping watch over your soul? Are you left to do that by yourself? You need someone you can trust with spiritual authority over you. You need someone you can trust who can admonish you and encourage you. The word admonish means warn you. You need someone who can confront you. Would you, are you willing to allow yourself to be confronted? This passage tells us that we should respect our church leaders, that we should esteem them very highly because of their work, and, because I'm uncomfortable receiving that kind of respect and esteem, I'm going to try to turn it to a few other people this morning because we are a small church that has leaders and I just wanna honor them for a moment.

  Before we do that, I'm gonna do a disclaimer. Many churches, the pastor's wife is like part of the pastoral team. And my wife isn't even here this morning, um. She's, she's out of town. She's, uh, her sister had her sister got married last night. She's normally here, but. If you, if this is your church home, you probably realize this about Megan, but Megan is not a pastor. She is not female Fletcher. She is a Christian and a wonderfully marvelous Christian in that, someone who I respect her faith, but she's also like a busy professional. She has a full-time job and is demanding. She has 3 children, she has a husband who's obnoxious a lot. And like she's got a full plate, you know, and she's a wonderful person, but if you are expecting, if you come in with like kind of traditional pastor's wives expectations on my wife, we're going to disappoint you, because that we've just decided that that's not her calling and in fact we're kind of bucking against the whole system.

  Because personally, and I, I know a lot of women find a lot of satisfaction in being a pastor's wife like that, and I'm not trying to, to, I'm not trying to rag on that at all, but I just think if a church has that type of expectation upon a wife that they should pay her also. Yeah thanks. I, I just, I, I don't think that's fair that you get the two for one deal, OK? This isn't BOGO, OK? This is, this is a church and I'm a pastor, my wife isn't.

  But let me honor and esteem some people who are called to ministry here and, first, our, we have two other elders at the church who pastor alongside me, and you guys probably do not even know the half of what all they do. So first mark, over here with the red beard, I'll point them out like that, uh. Mark, Mark is a is a more quiet leader than many, but he is so faithful for so long and you guys don't even know the imprint that Mark has had on this church. Mark, in addition to the regular govern. Of the church and leading of the church and and care and stewardship that that goes into that Mark serves as our treasurer our church finances are more well run than any church I've been a part of before, and he does a very good job with that. I'm very thankful for that. He also teaches a CoaH kids class which is like a lot of elders I think would look at that and be like that's below me but no he's like serving and teaching like preschool kids monthly.

  Mark is hosting a community group and has led many community groups. Before he's also leading our missions initiatives at the church and building connections with people internationally. There's just all kinds of things that Mark is involved in, not to mention just like all the pastoring things.

  In addition, there's Michael who was leading us earlier. You guys do the same thing for Michael. Thank you. I don't know where I would be without Michael. Michael and Mark, like it just I don't think I have to be best friends with our elders, but I just happen to be, you know, and it is a joy to have them both here and Michael and his wife Alexa, who I think is the Lord has called her to have a very special ministry here as well, Michael doesn't get paid, so we don't have to worry about paying them the same, OK. But, Michael, Michael and Alexa, they coach multiple community groups. They're involved pastorally in many of your lives. I know serving as a shepherd and look, I look at their account. I went down to Michael's house last week and was like, look. You guys have people over here like every night. I, we gotta slow this down a little bit, OK? Like you, you have too much. Like I don't, I can't take any of it, but you have too much. But we've gotta figure out how to, how to do this. And so Michael also ran our AV for years, also teaches a coa kids class exemplifying the humility involved in that. He's just one of these guys that you call when you need something done and he gets it done.

  Honoring a few other people. Calvin, who preaches for us regularly. Calvin has been reticent to take on the role of elder at our church, which is understandable given that he just served for 10 years in a church before moving here. And so we all understand and appreciate him and can treat him with respect and love that he deserves, although he is not currently a pastor at our church, we still invite him to all of our elder meetings and he comes. And he preaches like 6 or 7 times a year, so you know, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck. But really thankful for his leadership and his influence in those meetings. He always has winsome and helpful things to to share.

  I'm gonna recognize the deacons also, just briefly, Emmanuel and Erica, we've already taken time to recognize, and so God, we're so thankful for you guys. Your last day is deacons here, before we send you off.

  Alexis Donnelly, yeah, you, that's fine. We'll just keep this going. Alexis serves as our ministry associate and CoaH Kids director, and I can't tell you how much I respect Alexis and how many times I've been halfway through a sermon and told her my idea and she just gives me this look and then it's like I have to rewrite my sermon. Because I respect her and I think that the Lord has given her a great ministry here and she's a strong woman of faith and I'm very thankful for her and the work that she's done with our kids and we're, we'll be sad for her to be stepping out of that role in the in the coming months, but she'll be here at least through most of July. So, we'll see what the Lord has for her in the future and we're very proud of her and thankful for the ministry that she's laid.

  Anneke Lim has has been leading our meals ministry for for like 2 years now and serving in all kinds of different ways with CoaH kids with worship. Also she bought a house in Framingham. They've been driving an hour every Sunday and they're gonna look for a church closer to home, which is sad, but we also, understand that and encouraged her to do that, because you need to be close to a church because she needs a shepherd that can be in her life regularly, right.

  Riley Orrell, who's been who's who's been serving with our first impressions for years also, also leading a community group, also serving with CoaH kids. You just see these people they're everywhere serving all the time.

  Chris Chestnut. Common thread here with our deacons also serving with kids, have I mentioned that we need more kids volunteers always, right? And he, he leads our announcements team, our men's ministry is very involved in different in a lot of different things going on.

  And Leah Chestnut is is Chris's wife and she has been she actually she's she's full time with like a sciencey job that I never understand no matter how many times I ask her. I think it involves brains, of yeah, anyways, but she, she works for us just very part time and I swear she gets more done in like 3 hours a week than we could pay someone to do in 20, she's just like really great on top of getting a lot of things done and, and we're thankful for, for her serving in that way.

  And we've got some new deacons coming very soon, but I just wanted to recognize these people as they're people who deserve your respect and your honor and not just through an applause. But through your words, and through your actions, and the way that you treat them, and, and they didn't deserve your encouragement also to keep going. but the point of the sermon is, is not just you need a shepherd in the church. But it's that you, you need a shepherd in your life, a greater shepherd. You need a shepherd. Yes, you need a shepherd in the church.

  And let me just drive this point home real quick. I'm not talking about John Mark Comer. He doesn't live in Boston as far as I know. I'm not talking about John MacArthur. John Piper, I'm not talking about. Choose your, choose your pastor. I'm certainly not talking about Mike Todd or Joel Osteen. You need a shepherd who can take watch over your soul in a church. That, that's what Paul's saying. And I know I cannot guide every single one of you one on one here, but I will commit to loving you, to learning your name, caring for you, pouring my life into leaders who will pour their lives into others. And I'll commit to and and one of the ways that you commit to being shepherded is just by showing up on Sundays, being a part of what we're doing, sitting under the teaching of the church, being a part of the community groups and the regular ministries of the church.

  It's like I'm leading most of those regular ministries and and that's one of the ways that we shepherd you is through the regular stuff that the church does. It's not all just like I need time with my pastor face to face. I will lose my mind if I meet with all of you face to face. I just like, I love you. I would love to meet with you face to face. I'm also an introvert. I don't know if you knew that or not, but like I can't, I can only handle so many meetings a day before I I just turn into goop on the floor.

  But ultimately, more than a pastor, more than me, you need the Chief shepherd. And His name is Jesus of Nazareth. He loves you, and he laid down his life for his sheep, and here's the reality, I will fail you. You might be looking at me and thinking, man. Definitely not the shepherd I need. And I would agree with you. I'm not But I will point you to Christ, and I will do my best to follow after Him. That's all I've got, you know. I, I will tell you that the chief shepherd is so much more caring and loving and worthy of following than me. Have you met him? Have you talked with them recently? Have you let them care for your soul? Have you exposed yourself to his loving hand? Have you submitted your life to him?

  Matthew chapter 9. It says when he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Our chief shepherd wants to care for us, wants to care for you. John chapter 6. He says this Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. And so I just wanna give you a moment before we shift to communion. We're gonna have a baptism testimony in a moment. To talk with the Chief shepherd, because why else are you here? If you have your Bibles, you can open to Psalm 23, but if not, I'm just gonna walk us through this, and I just want you to pray. OK, You don't need to open your Bible honestly you definitely don't need to open your phone, you're just gonna get distracted, so. Just bow with me and pray, OK?

  The Lord is my shepherd. Would you own that church? I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. Would you let him do that right now? He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Not my name, his name. Every step God is for you. I would never walk through the righteous path by myself, but I need your guiding hand in shepherding. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil, God. And God, I pray for anybody who feels like they're in that valley today. Would you move them along and help them to fear nothing. Knowing that their chief shepherd defends them, and guards them because your rod and staff, they comfort me. You were with me, God, you were here with us this morning. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. God, you've been so, so good to me. And to all of us here. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

  Yes, Some of you may have just interacted with the Chief shepherd for the first time. And I would encourage you to continue that process, that you need a shepherd. You need that shepherd. You need him. And in just a few moments we're going to be doing a baptism, and a baptism is this outward expression of an inward reality. That I am not my own, but I belong to God. It's what it means to have a shepherd. I am not my own, but I belong to God.

  And so we're gonna celebrate a testimony with our sister Katie here in a few minutes after we're gonna sing a song and have communion. And, but when we do baptism, we ask, what is your sacred confession? And she declares. Jesus is Lord. It's a sacred and ancient confession. And so today, each of us, baptism is at the beginning of our Christian life typically, and we do communion each week to be reminded of that sacred confession. Jesus is Lord. And today, as you, as we open up the communion table, we invite all those who declare that Jesus is Lord to come and receive. And that means that I'm willing to submit to Jesus's authority in my life. And I'm willing to hear what he has for me and be cared for by him.

  And so, if you're a Christian, we invite you to participate, but if you're not a Christian, we invite you to receive the Chief shepherd. And you can participate in communion next week, but we'd really encourage you to get baptized, would be the first step for you if, if that is new, if your faith is new in that way. So as we prepare our hearts, would you stand with me as we prepare to sing and to respond through a communion meal.

  Christ Jesus, we're so thankful that you've never left us, that you're with us until the end of the age, and we pray that you would lead us and guide us, help us to walk in deeper humility and deeper obedience to your truth, help us to be light and salt in this world. And God, we pray that as we prepare our hearts to take this communion meal, that we would prepare ourselves to to declare Jesus is Lord. Overall that His will be done, not my will be done. That we will trust you with all things. I mean, what is prayer God? It's not, you are not a magical vending machine that we put prayer coins into, you want to bend our will to your will, and so would you do that now? Would you be our chief shepherd? We ask this in Christ's name, Amen.