Sept. 29, 2026
The Hidden Life of a Shepherd
It’s easy for a pastor to judge his ministry by what others can see: the size of the church, the platform, the response. But the true test of a shepherd is what drives him when no one is watching. In this message from 1 Peter 5:1–5, Hershael York looks at Peter’s charge to elders and shows that faithful shepherding comes down to whose flock it is, why we serve, what we hope to gain, and how we lead. He calls pastors to put on humility like a servant’s apron and to follow the pattern of the Chief Shepherd, whose suffering leads to glory.
Basics 2026
The Pastor's High Calling Selected Scriptures Series • ID: 100001 Recently AddedShepherd the Flock of God
1So I exhort the elders among you, mas a fellow elder and na witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2oshepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,1 pnot under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;2 qnot for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3not rdomineering over those in your charge, but sbeing examples to the flock. 4And when tthe chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the uunfading vcrown of glory. 5Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. wClothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for x“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
