Jun. 07, 2026

“BE HOPEFUL”

“THE HEART OF GOD’S OWN MAN”

1 PETER 5:1-4

What does it mean to have a pastoral heart? Who is a pastor? What is he? What does he do?

1.  Who Is A Pastor?

1 Timothy 3:1-2 “This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach”

“Bishop”-the oversight of church, feeding the flock, and the character of the leader.

Numbers 11:16-17 “So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.”

Leaders- need to have maturity, wisdom, respectability, and experience. They need to be overseer, inspectors, supervisors.

Acts 20:17,28 “From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.” 28Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

2.   Three Aspects Of God’s Man. 1 Peter 5:1

1 Peter 5:1 “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed.”

*Peter Was Humble- vs.1 “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder…”

*Peter Was A Witness-vs.1 “…and a witness of the sufferings of Christ…”

*Peter Was A Man Of Hope- vs.1 “…and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed.”

3.  What Does A Pastor Do? The concept of a pastor goes from Genesis to Revelation.

*Four Key Functions We See Of A Pastor:

*He Feeds

Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

*He Guides- he directs.

Psalm 23:2 “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.”

*He Protects.

Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

*He Restores.

Psalm 23:3 “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”

Hebrews 13:17 “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”

“Watch”- keep eyes open for danger and temptation.

Ephesians 4:11-13 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”

Colossians 1:28 “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

That is my job, but this job description should fit all of us.

2 Timothy 2:2 “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

4.  God’s Man- 1 Peter 5:2-4

*God’s Man Has A Humble Heart- 1 Peter 5:2

1 Peter 5:2 “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly.”

1 Corinthians 9:16 “Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”

2 Corinthians 5:14 “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died.”

*God’s Man Handles Temptation With Humility- 1 Peter 5:2

1 Peter 5:2 “…not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly.”

1 Timothy 3:3 “Not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous.”

*God’s Man Handles Authority With Humility- 1 Peter 5:3

1 Peter 5:3 “Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”

Leadership is not dictatorship, you don’t drive the sheep, you lead them.

• A Heart Set On The Promise Of Glory- 1 Peter 5:4

1 Peter 5:4 “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”

“The crown of glory..” Not a glorious crown, the very glory of the Lord will be his crown.

Hebrews 13:20 “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.”

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

Who are you responsible for pastoring or discipling? Who are the people following you? What are they learning?