The Duties of Elders Defined

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the two core Greek words defining elders' duties: 'poimaino' (to shepherd) and 'episkopos' (to oversee). He uses an analogy of a mother instructing her daughter…

A 15-year-old girl, Mary, is told to 'mother your brother, never taking your eyes off him.' This illustrates that 'exercising the oversight' is not a separate duty but the manner in which the central duty of 'shepherding' is performed, just as 'keeping eyes on him' is how Mary mothers her brother.

Shepherd the flock of God among you, and then a participial use, a present participle of the verb, episkopos, exercising the oversight. So we have the main verb in the imperative, and then we have the supplemental perspective in the participle. Now, it would be a lot easier to simply preach out of the English text, and most of you would never know this, but that's not my task. My task is to set before you as accurately as possible the mind of the Spirit of God in the word. Now, let me try to give you an English parallel so that you won't be put off by lessons in Greek grammar. Think with me th...

12:35 - 13:34 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin illustrates the shepherd's protective role with David's defense of his father's flock against a lion and a bear (1 Samuel 17) and Jesus' teaching on the hireling versus the…

David's account of defending his father's sheep from a lion and a bear (1 Samuel 17) vividly illustrates a shepherd's immediate and courageous duty to guard and protect the most vulnerable sheep from predators, even at personal risk.

Luke 12.38, and in my preparation my mind went back to that beautiful illustration of this in 1 Samuel, chapter 17. When David, one little boy, he was a young man. But compared to that giant Goliath, he was but a stripling. And you remember when David says, look, I can't stand it anymore.

35:24 - 35:48 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Referencing Ezekiel 34's indictment of shepherds and the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15), Martin defines the duty to heal and restore. He acknowledges the difficulty of this…

This analogy highlights the difference between literal sheep and human 'sheep.' Unlike animals, believers may resist the medicine or ointment prescribed by their shepherds for spiritual healing, due to pride or stubbornness, making the shepherd's task more complex.

no shepherd. Here the assumption is the shepherds were responsible to heal and to restore the sick and straying sheep. Isn't that what? David celebrated in Psalm 23.3. He restores my soul. And in that well-known parable in Luke 15, you have the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son. And what does Jesus say about the shepherd? 99 sheep are safely enfolded, but there is one sheep. And Jesus said that shepherd leaves the 99 and goes after the one until he has found it and then rejoicing, places it upon his shoulder.

53:09 - 53:53 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have shepherds who, with all their sins and failures, have a track record in your conscience that they're not out to abuse you, they want to get you safely to heaven, why don't you give them the benefit of the dou…

This analogy further illustrates the difficulty of shepherding human 'sheep.' Unlike dumb animals, believers may intentionally hide their spiritual struggles or lie to their shepherds, making it challenging for the shepherds to provide necessary help and restoration.

Dumb sheep out in the field, they don't do that. They get lost. They're loss-loss. And they're glad when they hear the voice of the shepherd saying, hey, sheepy, sheepy, where are you?

55:13 - 55:20 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have shepherds who, with all their sins and failures, have a track record in your conscience that they're not out to abuse you, they want to get you safely to heaven, why don't you give them the benefit of the dou…

This metaphor describes the frustrating experience of shepherds when they approach a 'sheep' (believer) with an intention to help, only to be met with resistance, stubbornness, or even hostility, like a goat butting them.

right, my fellow elders? We've got a charge from the chief shepherd who says you've got to shepherd them. And you've got to go after and seek to be graciously aggressive in healing and restoring the soul. And you've got to go after them. And you've got to go after the sick and the strange. And, dear people, if you have shepherds who, with all their sins and failures, have a track record in your conscience that they're not out to abuse you, they want to get you safely to heaven, why don't you give them the benefit of the doubt when they go looking at your limb that's busted and broken and now t...

56:17 - 57:20 Read in full sermon