James 3 one says, my brethren, be not many masters,
knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
So look, be careful about wanting to be some leader,
because you're gonna get the greater condemnation
when you do something wrong.
Isn't that what it's saying?
So obviously, we need leadership.
But if you're just getting into it
so you can say I'm a leader, or I'm in charge,
or this is my ministry, or whatever,
then you have the wrong attitude right off the bat.
So if you want, and look, there's a lot of guys in here
that are in our leadership class,
and I want you to be great leaders,
and you don't have to be a pastor to be a great leader.
You could just serve alongside me here
and be a great leader.
But if your reason for wanting to be a master,
it says be not many masters like teachers
is basically what it's saying,
we shall receive the greater condemnation.
In many things, we offend all.
If any man offend not in word,
the same as a perfect man,
and able to bridle the whole body.
So in context, what is this talking about?
The things that we say, our tongues are gonna say things
that they're not supposed to say.
No man is able to bridle the tongue at all times.
So think about this, as someone that's preaching
all the time, you're gonna say stupid things sometimes.
You're gonna mix up your words.
You're gonna have a Joe Biden gaffe moment.
You're gonna have all these problems.
So be careful wanting to be a master
because God is gonna hold you to a higher standard
for the things that you say from the pulpit too.
And so it's very important that we have our ducks in a row
when we preach.
And God says, in this context here,
it's talking about someone that can't bridle their tongue.
So sometimes I do say things from the pulpit that I regret.
Sometimes they get all fired up
and I'm ripping on the saws or whatever.
Maybe I say something that I would probably
just like cringe the next time I heard that, you know?
So all I'm saying is that we need to be careful
with our mouths and if you wanna be a leader in the church,
just realize that the things that you say,
God's gonna hold you to a higher standard, okay?
First Peter chapter five, verse one.
First Peter five one says, the elders which are among you,
I exhort whom also an elder, so Peter was an elder,
he was a pastor and the witness of the sufferings of Christ
and also a partaker of the glory, that shall be revealed.
What's it say?
If you're an elder, this is what you're supposed to do.
Feed the flock of God.
What did Jesus ask Peter to do?
Feed my sheep, feed my lambs, feed my sheep.
Peter's job as an apostle and as a pastor was to do what?
Feed the flock of God.
So God likens us, our church, to a sheep
and the person who's in charge of the church,
the person that's ruling over the church is the pastor
and that pastor has, what's it say?
Feed the flock of God which is among you,
taking the oversight thereof.
So I'm supposed to oversee the things that happen
and so when I see a sheep wandering away,
going towards the electric fence,
it's my job to go out and reach out to that person.
So when I see people drifting away,
that's my job as the pastor is to not only feed the flock
but also to take the oversight thereof.
So my job is to preach the word of God to you,
my job is to have oversight over you
and it says not by constraint,
not just because I have to, but willingly.
And that's the part that can get hard sometimes.
You won't understand this because you're not a pastor
but sometimes you don't feel like being a pastor,
believe it or not.
And obviously some days are harder than others.
Don't get me wrong, I love being a pastor, I love my job.
I'm just saying that there's days
when you just wish you could shut it all off.
But being a pastor is a hard job
so man, if you want to be a pastor,
just realize this, it's not just preaching sermons.
It's not just getting up and ripping
on the sodomites every other week.
It's not just getting up and getting on the women
for not wearing dresses.
It's not about ripping on guys
for wearing skinny jeans all the time,
which those things are good.
They'll have their place but just know this,
that the job is more than just preaching.
The job has a lot more.
It's oversight, it's willingly going forth
and overseeing people and helping them
with their problems and counseling.
It says, not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind.
So my mind is supposed to be ready to do what?
Feed the flock of God and that just isn't preaching only.
It's also feeding them, when people come to us for counsel
or come to me for counsel, I'm trying to feed them
the word of God also in that counsel
because obviously in the multitude of counselors
there's wisdom and so if you come to your pastor
for some wisdom, you know what I'm gonna do?
I'm not gonna tell you some worldly thing.
I'm not gonna quote Plato or Socrates or something.
I'm gonna quote the word of God.
I'm gonna preach the word of God to you
or just tell you what the Bible says about your question
to the best of my ability.