Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry

Hireling or Shepherd Part 1

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Church Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2020-01-19

Synopsis: In this sermon, John Weaver contrasts the biblical roles of a hireling and a shepherd, using John 10:11-15 as the foundational text. He explains that a true shepherd loves, feeds, and protects the sheep, while a hireling works only for money and abandons the flock in danger. Weaver extends this metaphor to modern pastors, arguing that many today are hirelings who prioritize building large churches and seeking personal recognition over faithfully preaching the whole counsel of God. He emphasizes that a true shepherd warns of spiritual and doctrinal dangers and feeds the flock with all of Scripture, not just popular topics. The sermon calls for a return to bold, biblical shepherding and warns against the superficial success of modern church growth.

[John Weaver] John chapter 10, and we're going to look at verses 11 through 15. The title of the message is Harling or Shepherd, or you might say Harling versus Shepherd. But notice, if you would please, John 10, beginning there with verse 11. Our Lord says, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is a harling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth a wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth. And the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The harling fleeth, because he is a harling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and have known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep." In this passage, our Lord makes a clear distinction between a harling and a shepherd. The shepherd loves the sheep. He feeds the sheep. He protects the sheep. The harling is only there for money. He really does not care for the sheep.

[John Weaver] He really does not love the sheep. He has no interest in them. And thus, when danger approaches, he leaves them and forsakes them to the wolves. The task of a shepherd, not only in the Old Testament, New Testament, even today, is to watch out for the enemies of the sheep, to defend the sheep from all attackers, to heal the sick and the wounded sheep, to find and to save the lost and trap sheep, as well as to feed them and to love them, sharing their lives and earning their trust. I have been in the mountains in Idaho, and I have seen teeny tiny little shacks where a shepherd will come and stay there occasionally. And some of these shepherds are with their sheep six to eight months out of the year by themselves, sometimes even longer than that. And our Lord here is talking about the difference between a shepherd and a hireling.

[John Weaver] Now, the Greek word here for the hireling is misthotos, which literally means a hired servant, one that is hired, and thus it is called a harling. The word for shepherd here is the word poimain, which refers not only to a shepherd, but what you and I would call a herdman as well. In the Old and in the New Testaments, The true Shepherd is none other than the one true and the living God.

[John Weaver] Let me give you some examples. In Psalm 80 and verse 1, the Bible says, Give ear, O God, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. So God is called the Shepherd of Israel. Jesus Christ is referred to in the Bible not only as the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, but also the Chief Shepherd. If you would look in your Bibles holding John 10, but if you look in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 13, and notice verses 20 and 21. Hebrews chapter 13, verses 20 and 21, and here you'll find that the Lord Jesus Christ is called the Great Shepherd. So Hebrews chapter 13, note verse 20, Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.

[John Weaver] Amen. So in verse 20, Jesus Christ is referred to as the Great Shepherd. When you get to the book of 1 Peter, like 1 Peter 2 and verse 25, the Word of God says, But you were as sheep going astray but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." So Jesus Christ then is referred to the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. We just saw in John 10 where Jesus Christ is called the Good Shepherd. In Hebrews 13 where Jesus Christ is called the Great Shepherd. And in 1 Peter 5 and verse 4, the Bible says,"...and when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, the Lord Jesus, you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." So Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd. Now, in light of the fact that our Lord is called the Shepherd, may I point out that pastors in the Bible are also referred to as shepherds, but in reality they are what you and I would call under-shepherds.

[John Weaver] It's just like the word is for an under-roarer. Someone who rows a boat, but he's under the captain of that boat. And so, the pastors are referred to as an under-shepherd because they are supposed to be under the rule and authority of the chief shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, let me begin by telling you that there are different titles for a pastor in the Bible. And sometimes this can be confusing, but it should not be. First of all, the pastor is referred to as an elder. The Greek word is presbyteros. It is where we get our English word presbyter from. A Presbyterian church refers to men as presbyters, but it actually is translated in our Bibles as elder.

[John Weaver] The interesting thing is the primitive Baptists refer to all of their pastors just simply as elders. When you get to another word in the Hebrew Old Testament, the word is a zakin, which literally means a bearded one, an ancient one, and one that held authority. So the word presbyteros refers then to someone who is older. It refers to an elder. So if you look in your Bibles, to the book of Acts chapter 20.

[John Weaver] And I want you to hold that passage and mark it because we're going to come back there several times. But if you look at Acts chapter 20 and verse 17, Acts 20 and verse 17, the Bible says this concerning the apostle Paul. Acts 20 and verse 17, And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. So he actually called the pastors, and here they are called elders. When you get to 1 Timothy 5 and verse 17, the Bible says, Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor especially they who labor in the Word and in doctrine." Note, if you would, those elders that rule well are those who labor in the Word and in doctrine. Just pointing out how pastors are referred to as elders. In the book of Titus, chapter 1 and verse 5, the Apostle Paul told Titus, For this cause I left the that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city as I appointed thee."

[John Weaver] Now here's a verse that everyone understands and everyone knows. James 5 and verse 14. The Scripture says,"...any sick among you." Is there any sick among you? Listen carefully."...let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." And then one other passage referring to elders, 1 Peter 5 and verse 1, which we will look at just a little bit later. The Apostle Peter said, The elders which are among you I exhort, who also am an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that is to be revealed. So, in the Bible, pastors are referred to as elders. Consequently, Let me just point this out.

[John Weaver] A new convert or someone who's been recently converted cannot possibly be an elder. In fact, the Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 3, verse 6, not a novice. lest, being lifted up in pride, he fall in the condemnation of the devil." Now, the word for novice there is the word neophotos. Literally, it's where we get our English word neophyte from. A neophyte is someone that is just a baby. Someone that has just been born, so to speak, or someone that is young and inexperienced. And so, a neophyte, someone that is A new to the faith cannot possibly be an elder. An elder in the Bible is someone who is older, an ancient one, a bearded one.

[John Weaver] Now, there's a second word that is used, and that is the word bishop. Sometimes it is translated as overseer. The Greek word is the word episkopos, and it refers to one that is an overseer, one that has the duty and the responsibility and the authority to see that things are done correctly. So, if you look in verse 28 of Acts chapter 20, and we'll come back to this, so just hold on to Acts 20, at least mark it. In verse 28, the Apostle Paul said, Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, or bishops, episkopos, to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood." So in Acts 20 and verse 28, the word is translated as overseers. However, when you get to 1 Timothy 3 and verse 1, the word is translated like this, this is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. So it's translated as overseer in Acts 20 and verse 28, and it's translated as bishop in 1 Timothy 3 and verse 1.

[John Weaver] Now, the third designation is that of pastor. We're told in Ephesians 4 and verse 11, And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastor-teachers.

[John Weaver] Now the word for pastor-teachers is the word poimenao, and it literally means to feed and to tend a flock to rule, to govern, to nourish, and supply the needs. So, let me show you this before we get really into this. I want you to turn, hold if you would, Acts 20, but turn in your Bibles to the book of John 21. Here is a passage which is a classic that talks about the role of a pastor. the role of a shepherd. And let's begin with John 21 and read verses 15 through 17.

[John Weaver] Then I'm going to come back and make a comment or two. Look at verse 15, John 21. So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He said unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith unto him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus said unto him, Feed my sheep. Now, when you look at verse 15, when our Lord says in the last part of that verse, feed my lambs, and when you look at the last part of verse 17, when our Lord says, feed my sheep, the Greek word is bosko, which means to feed and to keep.

[John Weaver] So, you're not only to feed the sheep, you are to defend and protect and keep the sheep. Interestingly, when you look at verse 16, and our Lord says, feed My sheep, He uses the word, poimeno, which is the word for pastor or shepherd. Literally, He says, shepherd My sheep. As a shepherd, The pastor is responsible to do everything that is necessary for the feeding, defending, and promoting of the sheep.

[John Weaver] Now, I've just given you three words from the Greek, and those words are interpreted or translated, I should say, several different ways in the Bible. First of all, remember presbyteros means an elder. Sometimes we just use the word presbyter.

[John Weaver] Secondly is the word episkopos, from which we get our word bishop or overseer. And thirdly, of course, is the word for shepherd.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point out the fact that these words actually describe one individual. For instance, if you go back in your Bibles to Acts chapter 20 and look at verse 28, and let me explain this. Acts 20, let's go to verse 17 first. Acts 20 verse 17, And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. Now, From verse 18 on, the apostle is speaking to the elders of the church. So when you get to verse 8, he looks at them and says,"...take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God."

[John Weaver] So a pastor is an elder. He is also a bishop, and he's also a pastor as well. So let me try to put this together for you. The word elder describes the man. The word bishop or overseer describes his office. The word pastor or shepherd describes his work. So you have three words. that refers to the man, to the office, and to the work. So consequently, an elder is also a bishop, but he also does the work of a shepherd.

[John Weaver] He does the pasturing and the shepherding of the flock. Now, I gave you all that information to say this, that one of the greatest problems that we have today in America is in the pulpit. And when I say in the pulpit, I'm referring to the men who were in the pulpit. A cursory study of the Scriptures will point out that the pastors of the day are nothing like the pastors and prophets in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Those men in the Old Testament and New Testament were bold, they were fearless, they were daring, and they confronted not only political but spiritual leaders in their depravity and their apostasy and in their wickedness.

[John Weaver] I hope you remember that passage where three kings, I think the king of Judah who was Jehoshaphat, and then the king of Samaria was Ahab, and then there was the king of Edom. They had gotten together and they were going to attack the king of Moab. And of course, they got out and they didn't have any water. And the king of Samaria said, Alas, God had brought these three kings together to kill us.

[John Weaver] And someone said, Is there not a prophet around here? Oh yes, there's Elisha. He's the one who poured water on the hands of Elijah. Well, let's go to Elisha. And when they got there, and Elisha looked up and he saw the King of Israel. Elisha said, Were it not for the presence of Jehoshaphat, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. Let me translate that for you, good South Georgia language.

[John Weaver] I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire. That's what he told him. Then he said, you get to your own prophets. Don't come around here with me. And he said, no, no, no. God brought us here to kill us. And of course, then he went ahead and worked things out through, and he said, Jehoshaphat's the one I'm concerned about, not you fellas. That's all there is to it.

[John Weaver] And you remember when our Lord had gotten through teaching And the disciples came up to him and said,"'Knowest thou not that the Pharisees were offended?' May I paraphrase that again? Our Lord says,"'Tough stuff.'" Really, he didn't say that. What he did say was this,"'Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone. If the blind lead the blind, they shall both fall into the ditch.'"

[John Weaver] I'm just saying, The preachers of today are totally different. Can you imagine someone like Elijah looking at the president or a congressman saying, I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire because you're a wicked, wicked man? Well, no, they're not going to do that. Likewise, if you do a cursory study of history, you're going to find out that the preachers of today differ greatly from the preachers of the American Revolution, their first war for independence. They also differ greatly from the second war for independence, the war of northern aggression.

[John Weaver] Now, if you want to have a clear distinction in your mind, let me recommend three books for you. You need to really think about these. There's J.T. Hedley's book, The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution, which is an excellent book. Then there's Christ in the Camp by J. William Jones. And of course, there's W. W. Benny's book, The Revival in the Confederate Armies. When you read these books, you're going to be absolutely struck with the great difference between men of those ages and the men that we have today. Back in those days, those men were men. I'm going to give you some illustrations of this in the next two Sundays. They stood for truth. They stood for righteousness. They stood for obedience to God and His law. They preached to rulers. They preached to those who were in authority. And they preached to their own congregations, just like they preached to their own congregations. And they preached to these rulers just like they were ordinary men.

[John Weaver] I never will forget reading years ago about, and I've even forgotten which one it was, but some preacher, He was about to start the sermon and someone slipped up to him and handed him a little note and the note said, please be careful what you say. The governor is in the congregation today. And when the pastor got the note, he stood up in the pulpit, he said, I was just given this note. Please be careful what you say. The governor is in the congregation today. He said, I would like to tell the governor, if he doesn't repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, he'll go to hell just like anybody else.

[John Weaver] Well, you know, that's the truth. But you won't find people like that today, that is for sure. Today, we no longer have men like that. We have politically correct preacherettes who preach their sermonets to Christianettes who watch their TV sets and smoke their cigarettes. There's no declaration of the truth. There's no call to repentance. There's no proclamation of Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation. There's no teaching of the demands of the law. There's no discussion of biblical morality. There's no demand for submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. We have half-men that preach half-truths, and a half-truth presented as a whole truth is an untruth.

[John Weaver] In other words, it's a lie. It's just a ball-faced lie. And we've trained our people to believe a lie. We've trained our people in this day and age to believe that if they go to church on Sunday morning and hear 15 minutes or 20 or 30 minutes sermonette, that ought to hold them for a whole week. No, it just doesn't work like that. It does not work like that.

[John Weaver] We're more interested in pyramid building than we are in feeding the sheep. We have perverted the word success. And we've now made the word success to mean that you have a huge building and a big budget and lots of people attending your services. Well, let me show you something. I want you to look in your Bibles. Hold, if you would please, the book of Acts particularly. But go back in your Bibles to the book of Hosea. Hosea. Daniel, Hosea. Look, if you would, at Hosea chapter 8 and verse 14. Hosea 8 and verse 14. I want you to see what God says about Israel.

[John Weaver] This is exactly where we are today. Look in Hosea 8 and verse 14. The Bible says, For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples. Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples. And Judah hath multiplied fenced cities. But I will set a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof." Today we are more interested in building buildings than we are in building individuals and families.

[John Weaver] We need shepherds, not pharaohs. Here is an interesting question. Have you ever heard of a church? calling a pastor because he was a good shepherd, because he could expound and explain and apply the Scripture. No. They look for orators. They look for administrators. They look for someone to work with the young people. They look for someone who is going to present a good image. It doesn't really matter whether they can teach and expound and explain the Word of God or not.

[John Weaver] May I remind you of this simple truth, that all the patriarchs, the greatest of the lawgivers, Moses, the sweetest of the psalmists, David, and even many of the mightiest prophets, such as Amos, were all shepherds. Every one of them was a shepherd. God did not choose pharaohs to lead His people. He chose shepherds. And the Bible tells you in Genesis 46 and verse 34, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptian.

[John Weaver] And the same is true today. Those who will build mighty buildings, those who will have great crowds usually despise and look down upon those small, struggling works, where the Word of God is preached and the congregation is faithful. May I point something out? Anyone can build a big work based upon compromise, entertainment, feelings, and emotions. But those things are not lasting. They certainly are not eternal. Years ago, I preached in a larger church down in Florida, farther down in Florida, The church had over 300 in attendance.

[John Weaver] I went back the next year, and I only recognized a handful of people. The church had a 90% turnover. It was not in the resort town, and it was not in the college town. Now, something is wrong when you can lose 90% of your people in a year. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 3. And I think this passage will really help explain what is happening in our churches today.

[John Weaver] Let's just begin reading there with verse 11 and read through verse 17. Then I'm going to come back and try to show you this in its context. So look, if you would please, at verse 11, 1 Corinthians 3. The Apostle Paul says, For other foundations can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now if any man builds upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall fry every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, so as by fire.

[John Weaver] Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are."

[John Weaver] Now let me point something out. You read in verse 12, now if any man, verse 13, every man, verse 14, any man, verse 15, any man, any time you see the phrase any man in this context, if you would just simply say any minister, because it's talking about preachers and preaching. Now, go back if you would please, verse 3. Paul says to these Corinthians, for you are yet carnal, for whereas there is among you envy and strife and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men? They were arguing over preachers. Now watch this. For while one saith, I am a Paul, another, I am Apollos, are you not yet carnal? Now look, who then is Paul? and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believe, even as the Lord gave to every man or every minister. I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." Are you watching? So then neither is he that planteth a minister anything, neither he that watereth a minister, but God that giveth increase. Now he that planteth the minister and he that watereth the minister are one, and every man or every minister shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.

[John Weaver] Now watch, for we the ministers are laborers together with God, ye the people are God's husbandry, you are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation. And another, that is another builder, another minister, buildeth their own. But let every minister take heed how he buildeth their own, for other foundation ye have no man laid, than that is laid which is Jesus Christ." Now, very clearly in verse 9, Paul says, we are the laborers, you are God's husbandry, you are God's building. Now skip down to verse 16. Notice this distinction again. "...Know ye not that ye," that is the people,"...are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? And if any man or minister defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." So in the context, the pastors are the builders, the believers are the building. Pastors are the husbandmen and the believers are the husbandry.

[John Weaver] It is the pastors that are building upon the foundation that was laid by the Apostle Paul. Now, the different kinds of materials speak of different kinds of people or converts. He talks about gold, silver, and precious stones, and He talks about wood, hay, and stubble. Let me tell you something. There's a huge difference between the converts that I make and the converts that God makes. There's a huge difference between those whom I convince and those whom the Holy Ghost convinces.

[John Weaver] The Bible says that He adds to the church daily such as should be saved. I never will forget hearing about Billy Sunday, that Presbyterian evangelist who was walking down the street. And up came an old drunk staggering to Billy Sunday, and he said, Hey, Mr. Sunday, don't you recognize me? Billy Sunday said, No. Well, he said, I'm one of your converts. Billy Sunday said, Bless God you must be. You're certainly not one of God's. Well, you know, that's exactly what the Scripture is talking about.

[John Weaver] It is easy and quick to build with wood, hay and stubble because they are plenteous and they are cheap. But it's very difficult and time-consuming and costly to build with gold and silver and precious stones. So what the Apostle is telling us in 1 Corinthians 3 is we have to determine whether or not we're going to build temples or whether or not we're going to build people.

[John Weaver] So I could ask you this question. Would I like to preach to thousands every Sunday? And the answer would be yes, as long as they really, truly wanted the Word of God. But the truth is, I'd much rather preach to ten people who want the truth than 10,000 who could care less about it. Would I prefer a nice, beautiful building? Well, of course. I'm like everyone else. I like beautiful things. But I will tell you this, I'd much rather build people and families than buildings. Buildings don't last. But folks who are saved last through eternity. And if you don't believe that buildings do not last, come to our area and let me show you where the tornado went through a few weeks ago.

[John Weaver] You'll find buildings absolutely, totally devastated and destroyed. You see, Zechariah chapter 4 and verse 10 warns us not to despise the day of small things. Men that are called in the ministry, must determine whether they're going to be hirelings or shepherds. They must determine whether they're going to build buildings or whether they're going to build people. Is the ministry a job or is it a calling? I have a friend who as a young man was considering entering into the ministry, and he asked his pastor, Why did you become a pastor?"

[John Weaver] And the answer he got shocked him. The pastor said, because it's a good job. That's it. It's a good job. I know another man who was a pastor. In fact, I had a service with him. And I heard someone compliment him on his part of the service. And he responded, of course, I did a good job. I'm a professional. What? Where is the ministry? Where is the calling? You look around today and the truth of the matter is most men, I'm talking about pastors, but you don't have to be a pastor.

[John Weaver] All of us want to be recognized All of us want to be honored. All of us want to be held up and held in high esteem. But you know what our Lord said in John 5 and verse 44? He looked at those Pharisees and He asked this question. How then can you believe who seek honor from men and seek not only the honor that cometh from God? In other words, our Lord says, when you desire praise and recognition and admiration of man, it makes faith impossible. How then can you believe when you're just seeking that?

[John Weaver] You see, the ministry is a trust. Let me ask you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 1. And notice if you would, beginning there with verse 11. Look what the Apostle Paul says. 1 Timothy 1 and verse 11. He says,"...according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." But note he said,"...according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust."

[John Weaver] So when we fail to be a true under-shepherd, we're actually treasonous and we're betraying our trust. We're acting like harlings rather than like shepherds. And God certainly condemns those who act like a harling. Let me just read to you Micah 3, verses 9-12. I want you to listen to what God says. "'Hear this, I pray you, you heads of the house of Jacob and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment and pervert equity.'" Now listen carefully.

[John Weaver] "'They build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire. And the prophets are of divine for money. Yet they will lean upon the Lord and say, Is not the Lord among us? None harm can come unto us. And our Lord says, Therefore shall Zion be plowed like a field. God said, I will tear you up.

[John Weaver] Now, today I want to give you very quickly two things that a shepherd does. First of all, a shepherd warns and a harling flees. You read that in John chapter 10. The harling flees when the wolf approaches, but the shepherd does not flee. He warns the sheep. When you read Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Habakkuk, all of these men speak of watchmen. It is the watchman's responsibility to warn of danger. And the pastor, as an under-shepherd, has the responsibility to warn of danger when he sees it. Now, the danger may be in any shape or form. It may be physical danger. It may be doctrinal danger. It may be societal danger. It may be financial danger. Whatever it is, as long as it is danger for the sheep, the shepherd has a responsibility to warn them. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 3. You will also find this in Ezekiel 33, but just look in Ezekiel 3, and let's begin reading there with verse 17. Watch this.

[John Weaver] Ezekiel 3, beginning there with verse 17. God is talking to Ezekiel about being a watchman, and He says this. Ezekiel 3, verse 17. Son of man, I have made thee a watchman of the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word at my mouth, watch, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die, and Thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life. The same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at Thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die, because thou hast not given him warning. He shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered, but his blood will I require at thy hand.

[John Weaver] Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned, also thou hast delivered thy soul." So it's the responsibility of the watchman to warn.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point out the fact, we must not only warn of wolves and danger, but we must warn also of wolves in sheep's clothing." If you will go back in your Bibles to Acts chapter 20 again, Acts chapter 20, and look, if you would please, at what the Apostle Paul says. Watch carefully, Acts chapter 20. Let's begin there with verse 28 again. Acts 20 verse 28.

[John Weaver] Paul tells these elders, Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Now watch,"'For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.'" So there's going to be extreme danger. The flock has to be warned.

[John Weaver] But look at verse 30,"'Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them." In other words, some decide they want the flock to follow them instead of following the Lord Jesus Christ. And they are going to rise from the midst of these elders. So just because a man is a preacher does not necessarily mean that he is God's preacher. Just because a man says he's a pastor does not mean that he is God's pastor. Well, you're going to ask, how can you tell the difference?

[John Weaver] And the answer is very simple. According to Isaiah 8 and verse 20, God says to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them. The true pastor is going to expound and explain and apply the Word of God. You remember I just read from the book of Ezekiel that if we fail to warn, the blood is on our hands. Here's a good question. How do we remove blood from our hands? How do we refrain from being charged with blood guilt?

[John Weaver] Certainly, it is not by witnessing to everyone that we see. I've heard preachers say, you've got to witness to everybody that you see, or their blood is on your hand. May I point out, that is humanly impossible. If Alice asked me to go to town and buy a gallon of milk, and I witnessed to everyone that I saw, I would never come back home. I wouldn't. It would be impossible. But if you will look in Acts chapter 20, Verses 20 and 21, the Apostle Paul begins to tell us how we can rid ourselves of blood guilt. Look in verse 20.

[John Weaver] He said,"...and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." Now watch this. He said,"...how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you." Wow! Well, let me ask you a question. How much of the Word of God is profitable? All of it. 2 Timothy 3, verse 16, all Scriptures given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness.

[John Weaver] Now, skip down if you would please to verses 26 and 27. He says, Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. Well, Paul, how did you get pure from the blood of all men? Did you witness everyone? No. Look in verse 27, For I have not shunned and declared to you all the counsel of God. You get free from the blood of all men by preaching the whole counsel of God. You preach all the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Whether people like it or not is immaterial. Deuteronomy 8 and verse 3, the Bible says that God wanted to make known to man that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Our Lord used that very verse in Luke 4 and verse 4. Jesus answered him by saying, it is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

[John Weaver] It does matter what we preach. It does matter what we believe. It does matter how we live. It does matter whether or not we obey. And it does matter whether or not all of God's Word is taught. The Bible says in Proverbs 13, verse 5, that every Word of God is pure. And we have to warn and we have to teach and preach the whole Word of God, the whole counsel of God, whether people like it or not. There are people who get angry. There are people who get upset. There are people who get mad. People who despise it. It's immaterial. If it's the Word of God, it is to be taught, whether people believe it or not or like it or not. It's not my responsibility to make you believe. It's my responsibility to teach and to preach.

[John Weaver] So, the shepherd warns and the hireling flees. Here's the second thing. A shepherd feeds. and a harling takes." If you will turn in your Bibles to back to 1 Peter chapter 5, and let's read there several verses. 1 Peter chapter 5, beginning there with verse 1. 1 Peter 5, verse 1. Look what he says. 1 Peter 5 and verse 1. The elders which are among you I exhort, who also am an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed." Now look what he says to the elders, to the pastors. Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, that is, being the bishop, being the overseer. You are the one who is called to rule under Christ.

[John Weaver] You feed them, you take the responsibility, the oversight, not by constraint, nobody makes you, but you do it willingly, not for filthy lucre, that is not for money's sake, but of a ready mind. Neither is being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." Now interestingly enough, He says you're to do this willingly and not just for money's sake.

[John Weaver] I was told recently about a well-known preacher who was asked to speak one night in a special meeting. And that well-known pastor asked for a $10,000 honorarium for the one night. the expenses that he would incur in his own personal private jet flying there. Plus, he had to be put up in the most expensive motel in town. So may I ask you this? Where's ministry in that? Where's ministry in that?

[John Weaver] Where is it where our Lord said, freely you receive, freely give? I've just something to point out. In Isaiah 56 and verse 11, you know what God calls the false shepherd? He calls them greedy dogs. He says, yea, they're greedy dogs, they can never have enough, and they're shepherds that cannot understand. They look to their own, everyone for his own gain from his quarter. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel 34. Go to the book of Ezekiel 34, and I want to just read the first 11 verses. I want you to see this. This is absolutely astounding. Remember now, if you would, what a shepherd is supposed to do.

[John Weaver] To love the sheep, to feed the sheep, to heal the sheep, to take care of the sheep, to search for them, to bring them home safely. Look in Ezekiel 34 beginning in verse 1. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds, Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

[John Weaver] You eat the fat, and you clothe you with the wool. You kill them that are fed, but you feed not the flock. The diseased have you not strengthened? Neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken, neither have you brought again that which was driven away, neither have you sought that which was lost, but with force and with cruelty have you ruled them.

[John Weaver] And they were scattered because there is no shepherd. And they became meat to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered." No protection. And they were scattered because there is no shepherd. And they began to meet all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains upon every high hill. Yea, the flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

[John Weaver] Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, And my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd. Neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not the flock. Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock. Neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more, for I will deliver My flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I Even I will both search my sheep and seek them out." Note, if you would, everything that a shepherd was supposed to do.

[John Weaver] These did not do it. They just simply did the opposite. Now, let me try to just make a couple of applications. I want you to think about this. First of all, the true test of a shepherd is does He feed the flock? Does He feed the flock? Does He give the flock the Word of God? And when I say that, all of it. You go to the average church and you can hear a sermon on sin, salvation, soul winning, sometimes the way you dress, and that's it. You hear it over and over and over. I probably would have told you this, but years ago, we were traveling and Alice and I went to church with a good friend of ours.

[John Weaver] And it was on Wednesday night. They'd gotten a new pastor. He was a doctor. And I really didn't want to go, but I went because of my friend, because I knew what the service would be like. So the man opened his Bible. and read his text. I took a pen out of my pocket. I had one back then. I took a pen out of my pocket, wrote on a piece of paper and handed it to Alice, and I said, here's what he's going to say. Here's his points.

[John Weaver] And he preached that right down the line. Alice said, how in the world did you know what he was going to say? That's because when you hear one, you've heard them all. And it's the truth. It's the truth. When you're stuck with just two or three messages, that's all you can say over and over and over. The Bible is full of truth. It is truth. And the Word of God, according to Jeremiah, is like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. It's like a fire that melts a hardened heart. Jeremiah 23. So we have to preach and teach all of the Word of God. God knows exactly what someone needs to hear to melt their heart. So, does the man expound and explain and apply the Word of God? How in the world can you believe something if you don't hear it or know it? How can you obey something that you're totally unaware of and ignorant of? It's impossible. So, the whole counsel of God must be preached.

[John Weaver] Secondly, a true shepherd will also warn of all kinds of danger. He'll cry out against anything and everything that is contrary to the sheep and which would inevitably hurt the sheep. A harling could care less. A harling's not going to warn of danger. He's just going to get out of dodge himself. He's not going to try to prepare or protect the people. Our Lord in John 10 is making a clear distinction between a harling and a shepherd. And I want to tell you this, all of the young preachers that are coming along, and I pray God raises up many of them, but they need to understand that they must make a choice as to whether they will be a harling or a shepherd, whether they'll be a pharaoh or a shepherd, whether they'll build buildings or serve God.

[John Weaver] If God allows them to have a big, wonderful building and they can still expound and explain and apply the Word of God, wonderful. There's nothing wrong with that. But if I have to make a choice, I'd rather have somebody that really, truly, genuinely wants the Word of God. A shepherd is more interested in building people and families than he is in building buildings and trying to make a name for himself. We need to pray. that God will raise up shepherds in our day and time. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee.

[John Weaver] We thank You for Your truth. We thank You for Your Word. We ask, Lord, that You would indeed raise up shepherds in this day and age. Raise up men that will cry out and warn of danger. Raise up men that will feed the flock of God. And give us, Lord, Your grace and Your mercy that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we ask and pray, Amen.

Hireling or Shepherd Part 1

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	1272000174012
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2020-01-19
Dictation Name
Book	Book 030: Hireling or Shepherd — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	77

Formatted Transcript

Introduction to the Hireling and Shepherd

Weaver reads John 10:11-15 and introduces the clear distinction between a hireling, who works for money and abandons the sheep, and a shepherd, who loves, feeds, and protects the sheep.

John chapter 10, and we're going to look at verses 11 through 15. The title of the message is "Hireling or Shepherd," or you might say "Hireling versus Shepherd." But notice, if you would please, John 10, beginning there with verse 11. Our Lord says,

Scripture Reading — John 10:11-15

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth a wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth. And the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep."

In this passage, our Lord makes a clear distinction between a hireling and a shepherd. The shepherd loves the sheep. He feeds the sheep. He protects the sheep. The hireling is only there for money. He really does not care for the sheep.

He really does not love the sheep. He has no interest in them. And thus, when danger approaches, he leaves them and forsakes them to the wolves. The task of a shepherd, not only in the Old Testament, New Testament, even today, is to watch out for the enemies of the sheep, to defend the sheep from all attackers, to heal the sick and the wounded sheep, to find and to save the lost and trapped sheep, as well as to feed them and to love them, sharing their lives and earning their trust. I have been in the mountains in Idaho, and I have seen teeny tiny little shacks where a shepherd will come and stay there occasionally. And some of these shepherds are with their sheep six to eight months out of the year by themselves, sometimes even longer than that. And our Lord here is talking about the difference between a shepherd and a hireling.

Biblical Titles for Pastors

Weaver explains that pastors are called elders (presbyteros), bishops/overseers (episkopos), and shepherds (poimainō), with each term describing the man, his office, and his work respectively.

Now, let me begin by telling you that there are different titles for a pastor in the Bible. And sometimes this can be confusing, but it should not be. First of all, the pastor is referred to as an elder. The Greek word is presbyteros. It is where we get our English word presbyter from. A Presbyterian church refers to men as presbyters, but it actually is translated in our Bibles as elder. The interesting thing is the primitive Baptists refer to all of their pastors just simply as elders. When you get to another word in the Hebrew Old Testament, the word is a zaqen, which literally means a bearded one, an ancient one, and one that held authority. So the word presbyteros refers then to someone who is older. It refers to an elder. So if you look in your Bibles, to the book of Acts chapter 20.

And I want you to hold that passage and mark it because we're going to come back there several times. But if you look at Acts chapter 20 and verse 17, Acts 20 and verse 17, the Bible says this concerning the apostle Paul. Acts 20 and verse 17,

Scripture Reading — Acts 20:17

"And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church."

So he actually called the pastors, and here they are called elders. When you get to 1 Timothy 5 and verse 17, the Bible says, "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor especially they who labor in the Word and in doctrine." Note, if you would, those elders that rule well are those who labor in the Word and in doctrine. Just pointing out how pastors are referred to as elders. In the book of Titus, chapter 1 and verse 5, the Apostle Paul told Titus, "For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city as I appointed thee."

Now here's a verse that everyone understands and everyone knows. James 5 and verse 14. The Scripture says, "...is any sick among you?" Is there any sick among you? Listen carefully. "...let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." And then one other passage referring to elders, 1 Peter 5 and verse 1, which we will look at just a little bit later. The Apostle Peter said, "The elders which are among you I exhort, who also am an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that is to be revealed." So, in the Bible, pastors are referred to as elders. Consequently, let me just point this out. A new convert or someone who's been recently converted cannot possibly be an elder. In fact, the Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 3, verse 6, "not a novice, lest, being lifted up in pride, he fall in the condemnation of the devil." Now, the word for novice there is the word neophutos. Literally, it's where we get our English word neophyte from. A neophyte is someone that is just a baby. Someone that has just been born, so to speak, or someone that is young and inexperienced. And so, a neophyte, someone that is new to the faith cannot possibly be an elder. An elder in the Bible is someone who is older, an ancient one, a bearded one.

Now, there's a second word that is used, and that is the word bishop. Sometimes it is translated as overseer. The Greek word is the word episkopos, and it refers to one that is an overseer, one that has the duty and the responsibility and the authority to see that things are done correctly. So, if you look in verse 28 of Acts chapter 20, and we'll come back to this, so just hold on to Acts 20, at least mark it. In verse 28, the Apostle Paul said,

Scripture Reading — Acts 20:28

"Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, or bishops, episkopos, to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood."

So in Acts 20 and verse 28, the word is translated as overseers. However, when you get to 1 Timothy 3 and verse 1, the word is translated like this, "This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work." So it's translated as overseer in Acts 20 and verse 28, and it's translated as bishop in 1 Timothy 3 and verse 1.

Now, the third designation is that of pastor. We're told in Ephesians 4 and verse 11, "And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastor-teachers." Now the word for pastor-teachers is the word poimainō, and it literally means to feed and to tend a flock, to rule, to govern, to nourish, and supply the needs. So, let me show you this before we get really into this. I want you to turn, hold if you would, Acts 20, but turn in your Bibles to the book of John 21. Here is a passage which is a classic that talks about the role of a pastor, the role of a shepherd. And let's begin with John 21 and read verses 15 through 17.

Then I'm going to come back and make a comment or two. Look at verse 15, John 21.

Scripture Reading — John 21:15-17

"So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He said unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith unto him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus said unto him, Feed my sheep."

Now, when you look at verse 15, when our Lord says in the last part of that verse, "feed my lambs," and when you look at the last part of verse 17, when our Lord says, "feed my sheep," the Greek word is boskō, which means to feed and to keep.

So, you're not only to feed the sheep, you are to defend and protect and keep the sheep. Interestingly, when you look at verse 16, and our Lord says, "feed My sheep," He uses the word, poimainō, which is the word for pastor or shepherd. Literally, He says, "shepherd My sheep." As a shepherd, the pastor is responsible to do everything that is necessary for the feeding, defending, and promoting of the sheep. Now, I've just given you three words from the Greek, and those words are interpreted or translated, I should say, several different ways in the Bible. First of all, remember presbyteros means an elder. Sometimes we just use the word presbyter. Secondly is the word episkopos, from which we get our word bishop or overseer. And thirdly, of course, is the word for shepherd.

Now, let me point out the fact that these words actually describe one individual. For instance, if you go back in your Bibles to Acts chapter 20 and look at verse 28, and let me explain this. Acts 20, let's go to verse 17 first. Acts 20 verse 17, "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church." Now, from verse 18 on, the apostle is speaking to the elders of the church. So when you get to verse 28, he looks at them and says, "...take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God."

So a pastor is an elder. He is also a bishop, and he's also a pastor as well. So let me try to put this together for you. The word elder describes the man. The word bishop or overseer describes his office. The word pastor or shepherd describes his work. So you have three words that refer to the man, to the office, and to the work. So consequently, an elder is also a bishop, but he also does the work of a shepherd.

He does the pasturing and the shepherding of the flock. Now, I gave you all that information to say this, that one of the greatest problems that we have today in America is in the pulpit. And when I say in the pulpit, I'm referring to the men who are in the pulpit. A cursory study of the Scriptures will point out that the pastors of the day are nothing like the pastors and prophets in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Those men in the Old Testament and New Testament were bold, they were fearless, they were daring, and they confronted not only political but spiritual leaders in their depravity and their apostasy and in their wickedness.

The Problem with Modern Preachers

Weaver laments that today's pastors lack the boldness of biblical prophets and historical preachers, often being politically correct and avoiding hard truths.

I hope you remember that passage where three kings, I think the king of Judah who was Jehoshaphat, and then the king of Samaria was Ahab, and then there was the king of Edom. They had gotten together and they were going to attack the king of Moab. And of course, they got out and they didn't have any water. And the king of Samaria said, "Alas, God hath brought these three kings together to kill us." And someone said, "Is there not a prophet around here?" "Oh yes, there's Elisha. He's the one who poured water on the hands of Elijah." "Well, let's go to Elisha." And when they got there, and Elisha looked up and he saw the King of Israel, Elisha said, "Were it not for the presence of Jehoshaphat, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee." Let me translate that for you, good South Georgia language.

"I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire." That's what he told him. Then he said, "You get to your own prophets. Don't come around here with me." And he said, "No, no, no. God brought us here to kill us." And of course, then he went ahead and worked things out through, and he said, "Jehoshaphat's the one I'm concerned about, not you fellas. That's all there is to it." And you remember when our Lord had gotten through teaching and the disciples came up to him and said, "Knowest thou not that the Pharisees were offended?" May I paraphrase that again? Our Lord says, "Tough stuff." Really, he didn't say that. What he did say was this, "Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone. If the blind lead the blind, they shall both fall into the ditch."

I'm just saying, the preachers of today are totally different. Can you imagine someone like Elijah looking at the president or a congressman saying, "I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire because you're a wicked, wicked man"? Well, no, they're not going to do that. Likewise, if you do a cursory study of history, you're going to find out that the preachers of today differ greatly from the preachers of the American Revolution, their first war for independence. They also differ greatly from the second war for independence, the war of northern aggression.

Now, if you want to have a clear distinction in your mind, let me recommend three books for you. You need to really think about these. There's J.T. Headley's book, "The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution," which is an excellent book. Then there's "Christ in the Camp" by J. William Jones. And of course, there's W.W. Bennett's book, "The Revival in the Confederate Armies." When you read these books, you're going to be absolutely struck with the great difference between men of those ages and the men that we have today. Back in those days, those men were men. I'm going to give you some illustrations of this in the next two Sundays. They stood for truth. They stood for righteousness. They stood for obedience to God and His law. They preached to rulers. They preached to those who were in authority. And they preached to their own congregations, just like they preached to their own congregations. And they preached to these rulers just like they were ordinary men.

I never will forget reading years ago about, and I've even forgotten which one it was, but some preacher, he was about to start the sermon and someone slipped up to him and handed him a little note and the note said, "Please be careful what you say. The governor is in the congregation today." And when the pastor got the note, he stood up in the pulpit, he said, "I was just given this note. 'Please be careful what you say. The governor is in the congregation today.'" He said, "I would like to tell the governor, if he doesn't repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, he'll go to hell just like anybody else." Well, you know, that's the truth. But you won't find people like that today, that is for sure. Today, we no longer have men like that. We have politically correct preacherettes who preach their sermonets to Christianettes who watch their TV sets and smoke their cigarettes. There's no declaration of the truth. There's no call to repentance. There's no proclamation of Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation. There's no teaching of the demands of the law. There's no discussion of biblical morality. There's no demand for submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. We have half-men that preach half-truths, and a half-truth presented as a whole truth is an untruth.

In other words, it's a lie. It's just a bald-faced lie. And we've trained our people to believe a lie. We've trained our people in this day and age to believe that if they go to church on Sunday morning and hear 15 minutes or 20 or 30 minutes sermonette, that ought to hold them for a whole week. No, it just doesn't work like that. It does not work like that.

Building Temples vs. Building People

Using Hosea 8:14 and 1 Corinthians 3, Weaver argues that many churches focus on building impressive buildings and large crowds rather than spiritually building individuals and families.

This is exactly where we are today. Look in Hosea 8 and verse 14. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:14

"For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples. Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples. And Judah hath multiplied fenced cities. But I will set a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof."

Today we are more interested in building buildings than we are in building individuals and families. We need shepherds, not pharaohs. Here is an interesting question. Have you ever heard of a church calling a pastor because he was a good shepherd, because he could expound and explain and apply the Scripture? No. They look for orators. They look for administrators. They look for someone to work with the young people. They look for someone who is going to present a good image. It doesn't really matter whether they can teach and expound and explain the Word of God or not.

May I remind you of this simple truth, that all the patriarchs, the greatest of the lawgivers, Moses, the sweetest of the psalmists, David, and even many of the mightiest prophets, such as Amos, were all shepherds. Every one of them was a shepherd. God did not choose pharaohs to lead His people. He chose shepherds. And the Bible tells you in Genesis 46 and verse 34,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 46:34

"for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptian."

And the same is true today. Those who will build mighty buildings, those who will have great crowds usually despise and look down upon those small, struggling works, where the Word of God is preached and the congregation is faithful. May I point something out? Anyone can build a big work based upon compromise, entertainment, feelings, and emotions. But those things are not lasting. They certainly are not eternal. Years ago, I preached in a larger church down in Florida, farther down in Florida. The church had over 300 in attendance.

I went back the next year, and I only recognized a handful of people. The church had a 90% turnover. It was not in a resort town, and it was not in a college town. Now, something is wrong when you can lose 90% of your people in a year. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 3. And I think this passage will really help explain what is happening in our churches today. Let's just begin reading there with verse 11 and read through verse 17. Then I'm going to come back and try to show you this in its context. So look, if you would please, at verse 11, 1 Corinthians 3. The Apostle Paul says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 3:11-17

"For other foundations can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

"Now if any man builds upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, so as by fire." "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are."

Now let me point something out. You read in verse 12, "now if any man," verse 13, "every man," verse 14, "any man," verse 15, "any man," any time you see the phrase "any man" in this context, if you would just simply say "any minister," because it's talking about preachers and preaching. Now, go back if you would please, verse 3. Paul says to these Corinthians, "for you are yet carnal, for whereas there is among you envy and strife and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men?" They were arguing over preachers. Now watch this. "For while one saith, I am a Paul, another, I am Apollos, are you not yet carnal?" Now look, "who then is Paul? and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believe, even as the Lord gave to every man or every minister. I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." Are you watching? "So then neither is he that planteth a minister anything, neither he that watereth a minister, but God that giveth increase. Now he that planteth the minister and he that watereth the minister are one, and every man or every minister shall receive his own reward according to his own labor."

Now watch, "for we the ministers are laborers together with God, ye the people are God's husbandry, you are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation. And another, that is another builder, another minister, buildeth thereupon. But let every minister take heed how he buildeth thereupon, for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ." Now, very clearly in verse 9, Paul says, "we are the laborers, you are God's husbandry, you are God's building." Now skip down to verse 16. Notice this distinction again. "...Know ye not that ye," that is the people, "...are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? And if any man or minister defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." So in the context, the pastors are the builders, the believers are the building. Pastors are the husbandmen and the believers are the husbandry.

It is the pastors that are building upon the foundation that was laid by the Apostle Paul. Now, the different kinds of materials speak of different kinds of people or converts. He talks about gold, silver, and precious stones, and He talks about wood, hay, and stubble. Let me tell you something. There's a huge difference between the converts that I make and the converts that God makes. There's a huge difference between those whom I convince and those whom the Holy Ghost convinces. The Bible says that He adds to the church daily such as should be saved. I never will forget hearing about Billy Sunday, that Presbyterian evangelist who was walking down the street. And up came an old drunk staggering to Billy Sunday, and he said, "Hey, Mr. Sunday, don't you recognize me?" Billy Sunday said, "No." Well, he said, "I'm one of your converts." Billy Sunday said, "Bless God you must be. You're certainly not one of God's." Well, you know, that's exactly what the Scripture is talking about.

It is easy and quick to build with wood, hay and stubble because they are plenteous and they are cheap. But it's very difficult and time-consuming and costly to build with gold and silver and precious stones. So what the Apostle is telling us in 1 Corinthians 3 is we have to determine whether or not we're going to build temples or whether or not we're going to build people.

The Ministry as a Trust, Not a Job

Weaver stresses that the ministry is a divine trust, not a career for personal gain, and that seeking honor from men makes faith impossible (John 5:44).

And the answer he got shocked him. The pastor said, "because it's a good job." That's it. It's a good job. I know another man who was a pastor. In fact, I had a service with him. And I heard someone compliment him on his part of the service. And he responded, "of course, I did a good job. I'm a professional." What? Where is the ministry? Where is the calling? You look around today and the truth of the matter is most men, I'm talking about pastors, but you don't have to be a pastor.

All of us want to be recognized. All of us want to be honored. All of us want to be held up and held in high esteem. But you know what our Lord said in John 5 and verse 44? He looked at those Pharisees and He asked this question. "How then can you believe who seek honor from men and seek not only the honor that cometh from God?" In other words, our Lord says, when you desire praise and recognition and admiration of man, it makes faith impossible. How then can you believe when you're just seeking that?

You see, the ministry is a trust. Let me ask you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 1. And notice if you would, beginning there with verse 11. Look what the Apostle Paul says. 1 Timothy 1 and verse 11. He says, "...according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." But note he said, "...according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust."

So when we fail to be a true under-shepherd, we're actually treasonous and we're betraying our trust. We're acting like hirelings rather than like shepherds. And God certainly condemns those who act like a hireling. Let me just read to you Micah 3, verses 9-12. I want you to listen to what God says. "'Hear this, I pray you, you heads of the house of Jacob and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment and pervert equity.'" Now listen carefully. "'They build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire. And the prophets thereof divine for money. Yet they will lean upon the Lord and say, Is not the Lord among us? None harm can come unto us.' And our Lord says, 'Therefore shall Zion be plowed like a field.'" God said, "I will tear you up."

The Shepherd Warns of Danger

Drawing from Ezekiel 3 and Acts 20, Weaver teaches that a true shepherd must warn the flock of spiritual dangers, including false teachers, and that failure to do so brings blood guilt.

Now, today I want to give you very quickly two things that a shepherd does. First of all, a shepherd warns and a hireling flees. You read that in John chapter 10. The hireling flees when the wolf approaches, but the shepherd does not flee. He warns the sheep. When you read Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Habakkuk, all of these men speak of watchmen. It is the watchman's responsibility to warn of danger. And the pastor, as an under-shepherd, has the responsibility to warn of danger when he sees it. Now, the danger may be in any shape or form. It may be physical danger. It may be doctrinal danger. It may be societal danger. It may be financial danger. Whatever it is, as long as it is danger for the sheep, the shepherd has a responsibility to warn them. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 3. You will also find this in Ezekiel 33, but just look in Ezekiel 3, and let's begin reading there with verse 17. Watch this.

Ezekiel 3, beginning there with verse 17. God is talking to Ezekiel about being a watchman, and He says this. Ezekiel 3, verse 17. "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman of the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word at my mouth, watch, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life. The same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die, because thou hast not given him warning. He shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered, but his blood will I require at thy hand."

"Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned, also thou hast delivered thy soul." So it's the responsibility of the watchman to warn. Now, let me point out the fact, we must not only warn of wolves and danger, but we must warn also of "wolves in sheep's clothing." If you will go back in your Bibles to Acts chapter 20 again, Acts chapter 20, and look, if you would please, at what the Apostle Paul says. Watch carefully, Acts chapter 20. Let's begin there with verse 28 again. Acts 20 verse 28. Paul tells these elders, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Now watch, "'For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.'" So there's going to be extreme danger. The flock has to be warned.

But look at verse 30, "'Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them.'" In other words, some decide they want the flock to follow them instead of following the Lord Jesus Christ. And they are going to rise from the midst of these elders. So just because a man is a preacher does not necessarily mean that he is God's preacher. Just because a man says he's a pastor does not mean that he is God's pastor. Well, you're going to ask, how can you tell the difference? And the answer is very simple. According to Isaiah 8 and verse 20, "To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them." The true pastor is going to expound and explain and apply the Word of God. You remember I just read from the book of Ezekiel that if we fail to warn, the blood is on our hands. Here's a good question. How do we remove blood from our hands? How do we refrain from being charged with blood guilt?

Certainly, it is not by witnessing to everyone that we see. I've heard preachers say, "You've got to witness to everybody that you see, or their blood is on your hand." May I point out, that is humanly impossible. If Alice asked me to go to town and buy a gallon of milk, and I witnessed to everyone that I saw, I would never come back home. I wouldn't. It would be impossible. But if you will look in Acts chapter 20, verses 20 and 21, the Apostle Paul begins to tell us how we can rid ourselves of blood guilt. Look in verse 20.

He said, "...and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." Now watch this. He said, "...how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you." Wow! Well, let me ask you a question. How much of the Word of God is profitable? All of it. 2 Timothy 3, verse 16, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness."

Now, skip down if you would please to verses 26 and 27. He says, "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men." Well, Paul, how did you get pure from the blood of all men? Did you witness to everyone? No. Look in verse 27, "For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." You get free from the blood of all men by preaching the whole counsel of God. You preach all the Word of God. Whether people like it or not is immaterial. Deuteronomy 8 and verse 3, the Bible says that God wanted to make known to man that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Our Lord used that very verse in Luke 4 and verse 4. Jesus answered him by saying, "It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."

The Shepherd Feeds the Flock

Weaver explains that a shepherd feeds the sheep with the whole counsel of God, not just a few repeated topics, and contrasts this with hirelings who exploit the flock for personal gain (Ezekiel 34).

So, the shepherd warns and the hireling flees. Here's the second thing. A shepherd feeds, and a hireling takes. If you will turn in your Bibles to back to 1 Peter chapter 5, and let's read there several verses. 1 Peter chapter 5, beginning there with verse 1. 1 Peter 5, verse 1. Look what he says. 1 Peter 5 and verse 1. "The elders which are among you I exhort, who also am an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed." Now look what he says to the elders, to the pastors. "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof," that is, being the bishop, being the overseer. You are the one who is called to rule under Christ.

"You feed them, you take the responsibility, the oversight, not by constraint, nobody makes you, but you do it willingly, not for filthy lucre, that is not for money's sake, but of a ready mind. Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." Now interestingly enough, He says you're to do this willingly and not just for money's sake. I was told recently about a well-known preacher who was asked to speak one night in a special meeting. And that well-known pastor asked for a $10,000 honorarium for the one night, the expenses that he would incur in his own personal private jet flying there. Plus, he had to be put up in the most expensive motel in town. So may I ask you this? Where's ministry in that? Where's ministry in that?

Where is it where our Lord said, "freely you receive, freely give"? I've just something to point out. In Isaiah 56 and verse 11, you know what God calls the false shepherd? He calls them greedy dogs. He says, "Yea, they're greedy dogs, they can never have enough, and they're shepherds that cannot understand. They look to their own, everyone for his own gain from his quarter." I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel 34. Go to the book of Ezekiel 34, and I want to just read the first 11 verses. I want you to see this. This is absolutely astounding. Remember now, if you would, what a shepherd is supposed to do.

To love the sheep, to feed the sheep, to heal the sheep, to take care of the sheep, to search for them, to bring them home safely. Look in Ezekiel 34 beginning in verse 1. "And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds, Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?" "You eat the fat, and you clothe you with the wool. You kill them that are fed, but you feed not the flock. The diseased have you not strengthened? Neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken, neither have you brought again that which was driven away, neither have you sought that which was lost, but with force and with cruelty have you ruled them."

"And they were scattered because there is no shepherd. And they became meat to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered." No protection. "And they were scattered because there is no shepherd. And they became meat to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains upon every high hill. Yea, the flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them." "Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd. Neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not the flock. Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock. Neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more, for I will deliver My flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them out." Note, if you would, everything that a shepherd was supposed to do.

Conclusion and Call for True Shepherds

Weaver concludes by urging young preachers to choose to be shepherds rather than hirelings, prioritizing the spiritual growth of people over building projects, and prays for God to raise up faithful shepherds.

Secondly, a true shepherd will also warn of all kinds of danger. He'll cry out against anything and everything that is contrary to the sheep and which would inevitably hurt the sheep. A hireling could care less. A hireling's not going to warn of danger. He's just going to get out of dodge himself. He's not going to try to prepare or protect the people. Our Lord in John 10 is making a clear distinction between a hireling and a shepherd. And I want to tell you this, all of the young preachers that are coming along, and I pray God raises up many of them, but they need to understand that they must make a choice as to whether they will be a hireling or a shepherd, whether they'll be a pharaoh or a shepherd, whether they'll build buildings or serve God.

If God allows them to have a big, wonderful building and they can still expound and explain and apply the Word of God, wonderful. There's nothing wrong with that. But if I have to make a choice, I'd rather have somebody that really, truly, genuinely wants the Word of God. A shepherd is more interested in building people and families than he is in building buildings and trying to make a name for himself. We need to pray that God will raise up shepherds in our day and time. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You for Your Word. We ask, Lord, that You would indeed raise up shepherds in this day and age. Raise up men that will cry out and warn of danger. Raise up men that will feed the flock of God. And give us, Lord, Your grace and Your mercy that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we ask and pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Contrast between hireling and shepherd

Summary: The sermon centers on the distinction between a hireling, who serves for money and abandons the sheep, and a true shepherd, who sacrificially loves, feeds, and protects the flock.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The shepherd loves the sheep. He feeds the sheep. He protects the sheep. The hireling is only there for money. He really does not care for the sheep.'

Biblical qualifications and roles of pastors

Summary: Weaver explains that pastors are biblically designated as elders, bishops, and shepherds, each term highlighting a different aspect of their calling and responsibility.

Evidence: He says, 'The word elder describes the man. The word bishop or overseer describes his office. The word pastor or shepherd describes his work.'

The failure of modern preachers

Summary: Weaver criticizes contemporary pastors for lacking boldness, avoiding hard truths, and being more concerned with image and numbers than with faithfully proclaiming God's Word.

Evidence: He remarks, 'We have politically correct preacherettes who preach their sermonets to Christianettes who watch their TV sets and smoke their cigarettes.'

Building people vs. building buildings

Summary: Weaver argues that true ministry focuses on spiritually building people and families, not on constructing large buildings or seeking numerical success.

Evidence: He says, 'We need shepherds, not pharaohs... I'd much rather build people and families than buildings.'

The ministry as a divine trust

Summary: Weaver emphasizes that the ministry is a sacred trust from God, not a career for personal gain, and that seeking human honor undermines faith.

Evidence: He quotes 1 Timothy 1:11 and says, 'when we fail to be a true under-shepherd, we're actually treasonous and we're betraying our trust.'

The duty to warn of danger

Summary: A true shepherd must warn the flock of spiritual, doctrinal, and moral dangers, and failure to do so results in blood guilt before God.

Evidence: Weaver reads Ezekiel 3:17-21 and says, 'it's the responsibility of the watchman to warn.'

Feeding the flock with the whole counsel of God

Summary: Shepherds must preach all of Scripture, not just a few favorite topics, because every word of God is profitable and necessary for spiritual life.

Evidence: He states, 'You get free from the blood of all men by preaching the whole counsel of God. You preach all the Word of God.'

Condemnation of greedy and neglectful shepherds

Summary: Weaver uses Ezekiel 34 to show God's judgment on shepherds who feed themselves rather than the flock, and who fail to care for the weak and lost.

Evidence: He reads Ezekiel 34:2-10 and says, 'Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?'

Key Arguments

A hireling abandons the sheep in danger, but a shepherd protects them.

Summary: Weaver argues that the defining mark of a hireling is self-preservation, while a shepherd risks himself for the flock.

Evidence: He says, 'The hireling flees when the wolf approaches, but the shepherd does not flee. He warns the sheep.'

Modern pastors often lack the boldness of biblical prophets.

Summary: Weaver contends that today's preachers are timid and politically correct, unlike prophets like Elijah who confronted wicked rulers directly.

Evidence: He recounts Elijah's words to the king: 'I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire.'

Church success is wrongly measured by buildings and budgets.

Summary: Weaver argues that the modern church equates success with large facilities and crowds, but God values faithful shepherding of people.

Evidence: He says, 'We have perverted the word success. And we've now made the word success to mean that you have a huge building and a big budget and lots of people attending your services.'

God chose shepherds, not pharaohs, to lead His people.

Summary: Weaver points out that biblical leaders like Moses and David were shepherds, and that shepherds are often despised by the world.

Evidence: He states, 'God did not choose pharaohs to lead His people. He chose shepherds.'

Preaching the whole counsel of God frees a pastor from blood guilt.

Summary: Weaver argues that a pastor is not responsible for the blood of those who reject the warning if he has faithfully declared all of God's Word.

Evidence: He quotes Acts 20:26-27: 'I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.'

A true shepherd feeds the flock, while a hireling takes from them.

Summary: Weaver contrasts the selfless feeding of the shepherd with the exploitative nature of the hireling, who uses the flock for personal gain.

Evidence: He reads Ezekiel 34:2-3: 'Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! ... Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool.'

The ministry is a calling, not a job for personal benefit.

Summary: Weaver insists that true ministry is a divine trust, and those who treat it as a career for money or prestige are hirelings.

Evidence: He shares an anecdote of a pastor who said he entered the ministry 'because it's a good job.'

Seeking honor from men makes faith impossible.

Summary: Weaver argues that a desire for human recognition and praise undermines genuine faith in God.

Evidence: He quotes John 5:44: 'How then can you believe who seek honor from men and seek not only the honor that cometh from God?'

Scripture References

John 10:11-15

Context: The primary text of the sermon, where Jesus contrasts the good shepherd who lays down his life with the hireling who flees.

Psalm 80:1

Context: Cited to show that God is called the Shepherd of Israel.

Hebrews 13:20-21

Context: Referred to as calling Jesus the Great Shepherd.

1 Peter 2:25

Context: Mentioned to show Jesus is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls.

1 Peter 5:4

Context: Cited to show Jesus is the Chief Shepherd.

Acts 20:17

Context: Used to demonstrate that pastors are called elders.

1 Timothy 5:17

Context: Cited to show elders who rule well labor in the Word and doctrine.

Titus 1:5

Context: Referenced to show Paul instructed Titus to ordain elders.

James 5:14

Context: Mentioned to show the sick should call for the elders of the church.

1 Peter 5:1

Context: Cited to show Peter exhorts elders as a fellow elder.

1 Timothy 3:6

Context: Used to argue that a new convert cannot be an elder.

Acts 20:28

Context: Shows that elders are made overseers by the Holy Ghost to feed the church.

1 Timothy 3:1

Context: Cited to show the office of a bishop is a good work.

Ephesians 4:11

Context: Mentioned to show Christ gave some as pastor-teachers.

John 21:15-17

Context: Used to illustrate the pastoral command to feed and shepherd the sheep.

Hosea 8:14

Context: Cited to warn against building temples while forgetting God.

Genesis 46:34

Context: Quoted to show that every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.

1 Corinthians 3:11-17

Context: Used to illustrate that pastors build on the foundation of Christ with varying materials, representing converts.

Zechariah 4:10

Context: Cited to warn against despising the day of small things.

John 5:44

Context: Quoted to show that seeking honor from men makes faith impossible.

Historical References

J.T. Headley's book 'The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution'

Context: Recommended as a resource showing the boldness of preachers during the American Revolution.

J. William Jones' book 'Christ in the Camp'

Context: Recommended as a resource on chaplains during the Civil War.

W.W. Bennett's book 'The Revival in the Confederate Armies'

Context: Recommended as a resource on revival among Confederate soldiers.

Billy Sunday

Context: Anecdote about the evangelist Billy Sunday distinguishing his converts from God's converts.

Important Quotes

The shepherd loves the sheep. He feeds the sheep. He protects the sheep. The hireling is only there for money. He really does not care for the sheep.

Significance: This quote succinctly captures the central contrast of the sermon between the selfless shepherd and the selfish hireling.

We have politically correct preacherettes who preach their sermonets to Christianettes who watch their TV sets and smoke their cigarettes.

Significance: A sharp critique of modern, watered-down preaching that avoids hard truths and caters to comfort.

We need shepherds, not pharaohs.

Significance: A concise call for pastoral leadership focused on people rather than power and building projects.

God did not choose pharaohs to lead His people. He chose shepherds.

Significance: Highlights the biblical pattern of God using humble shepherds rather than worldly rulers.

You get free from the blood of all men by preaching the whole counsel of God. You preach all the Word of God.

Significance: Emphasizes the pastor's duty to declare all of Scripture to avoid blood guilt.

Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

Significance: A direct biblical rebuke of self-serving pastors, central to the sermon's warning.

I'd much rather build people and families than buildings.

Significance: Expresses the priority of spiritual investment over physical infrastructure.

How then can you believe who seek honor from men and seek not only the honor that cometh from God?

Significance: A key verse used to argue that seeking human praise undermines genuine faith.

Discussion Questions

What are the key differences between a hireling and a shepherd according to John 10:11-15?

Context: Weaver introduces the sermon by reading this passage and explaining the contrast.

How do the biblical titles of elder, bishop, and shepherd help us understand the role of a pastor?

Context: Weaver explains that these terms describe the man, his office, and his work.

In what ways do modern preachers differ from the bold prophets and pastors of the Bible and history?

Context: Weaver laments the lack of boldness and truth-telling in contemporary pulpits.

What does it mean to build with gold, silver, and precious stones versus wood, hay, and stubble in ministry?

Context: Weaver uses 1 Corinthians 3 to discuss the quality of converts and ministry work.

Why is preaching the whole counsel of God essential for a pastor to be free from blood guilt?

Context: Weaver explains Acts 20:26-27 and the responsibility to declare all of God's Word.

What are the consequences for shepherds who feed themselves rather than the flock, as described in Ezekiel 34?

Context: Weaver reads Ezekiel 34:1-10 to show God's judgment on neglectful leaders.

How can a pastor balance the desire for a large ministry with the call to faithfully shepherd a smaller flock?

Context: Weaver discusses the temptation to measure success by numbers and buildings.

What practical steps can a church take to ensure they are calling a shepherd rather than a hireling?

Context: Weaver critiques the common criteria churches use when searching for a pastor.

Applications

Evaluate your pastor's ministry by biblical standards

Summary: Weaver implies that congregations should assess whether their pastor is a true shepherd who feeds the flock with the whole counsel of God and warns of danger, rather than a hireling focused on personal gain.

Evidence: He asks, 'Does He feed the flock? Does He give the flock the Word of God? ... Does the man expound and explain and apply the Word of God?'

Reject the worldly measure of church success

Summary: Weaver urges believers to value spiritual growth and faithful preaching over large buildings, big budgets, and high attendance.

Evidence: He says, 'We have perverted the word success... I'd much rather build people and families than buildings.'

Pray for God to raise up true shepherds

Summary: Weaver concludes by calling the congregation to pray that God would raise up men who will faithfully warn and feed the flock.

Evidence: He prays, 'Raise up men that will cry out and warn of danger. Raise up men that will feed the flock of God.'

Desire the whole counsel of God, not just popular topics

Summary: Weaver challenges listeners to want all of Scripture taught, even the hard parts, because every word of God is profitable.

Evidence: He states, 'It does matter what we preach. It does matter what we believe... it does matter whether or not all of God's Word is taught.'

Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing

Summary: Weaver warns that false teachers can arise from within the church, and believers must test all teaching against Scripture.

Evidence: He quotes Acts 20:30: 'Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them.'

Do not seek honor from men

Summary: Weaver applies John 5:44 to caution against desiring human recognition, which makes genuine faith impossible.

Evidence: He says, 'when you desire praise and recognition and admiration of man, it makes faith impossible.'

Support shepherds who feed the flock

Summary: While not explicitly stated, the sermon implies that congregations should support and honor pastors who faithfully shepherd, as opposed to hirelings.

Evidence: Weaver contrasts the hireling who flees with the shepherd who stays, implying the latter is worthy of support.

Examine your own motives in ministry or service

Summary: Weaver's call to choose between being a hireling or shepherd applies not only to pastors but to all who serve, urging self-examination of motives.

Evidence: He says, 'All of us want to be recognized. All of us want to be honored... But you know what our Lord said... How then can you believe who seek honor from men?'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T19:09:37Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:18:46Z

Clean Transcript

Hireling or Shepherd Part 1

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

John chapter 10, and we're going to look at verses 11 through 15. The title of the message is "Hireling or Shepherd," or you might say "Hireling versus Shepherd." But notice, if you would please, John 10, beginning there with verse 11. Our Lord says, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth a wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth. And the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep." In this passage, our Lord makes a clear distinction between a hireling and a shepherd. The shepherd loves the sheep. He feeds the sheep. He protects the sheep. The hireling is only there for money. He really does not care for the sheep.
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He really does not love the sheep. He has no interest in them. And thus, when danger approaches, he leaves them and forsakes them to the wolves. The task of a shepherd, not only in the Old Testament, New Testament, even today, is to watch out for the enemies of the sheep, to defend the sheep from all attackers, to heal the sick and the wounded sheep, to find and to save the lost and trapped sheep, as well as to feed them and to love them, sharing their lives and earning their trust. I have been in the mountains in Idaho, and I have seen teeny tiny little shacks where a shepherd will come and stay there occasionally. And some of these shepherds are with their sheep six to eight months out of the year by themselves, sometimes even longer than that. And our Lord here is talking about the difference between a shepherd and a hireling.
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Now, the Greek word here for the hireling is misthōtos, which literally means a hired servant, one that is hired, and thus it is called an hireling. The word for shepherd here is the word poimēn, which refers not only to a shepherd, but what you and I would call a herdman as well. In the Old and in the New Testaments, the true Shepherd is none other than the one true and the living God.
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Let me give you some examples. In Psalm 80 and verse 1, the Bible says, "Give ear, O God, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth." So God is called the Shepherd of Israel. Jesus Christ is referred to in the Bible not only as the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, but also the Chief Shepherd. If you would look in your Bibles holding John 10, but if you look in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 13, and notice verses 20 and 21. Hebrews chapter 13, verses 20 and 21, and here you'll find that the Lord Jesus Christ is called the Great Shepherd. So Hebrews chapter 13, note verse 20, "Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever."
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Amen. So in verse 20, Jesus Christ is referred to as the Great Shepherd. When you get to the book of 1 Peter, like 1 Peter 2 and verse 25, the Word of God says, "For ye were as sheep going astray but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." So Jesus Christ then is referred to as the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. We just saw in John 10 where Jesus Christ is called the Good Shepherd. In Hebrews 13 where Jesus Christ is called the Great Shepherd. And in 1 Peter 5 and verse 4, the Bible says, "...and when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, the Lord Jesus, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." So Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd. Now, in light of the fact that our Lord is called the Shepherd, may I point out that pastors in the Bible are also referred to as shepherds, but in reality they are what you and I would call under-shepherds.
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It's just like the word is for an under-rower. Someone who rows a boat, but he's under the captain of that boat. And so, the pastors are referred to as an under-shepherd because they are supposed to be under the rule and authority of the chief shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Now, let me begin by telling you that there are different titles for a pastor in the Bible. And sometimes this can be confusing, but it should not be. First of all, the pastor is referred to as an elder. The Greek word is presbyteros. It is where we get our English word presbyter from. A Presbyterian church refers to men as presbyters, but it actually is translated in our Bibles as elder.
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The interesting thing is the primitive Baptists refer to all of their pastors just simply as elders. When you get to another word in the Hebrew Old Testament, the word is a zaqen, which literally means a bearded one, an ancient one, and one that held authority. So the word presbyteros refers then to someone who is older. It refers to an elder. So if you look in your Bibles, to the book of Acts chapter 20.
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And I want you to hold that passage and mark it because we're going to come back there several times. But if you look at Acts chapter 20 and verse 17, Acts 20 and verse 17, the Bible says this concerning the apostle Paul. Acts 20 and verse 17, "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church." So he actually called the pastors, and here they are called elders. When you get to 1 Timothy 5 and verse 17, the Bible says, "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor especially they who labor in the Word and in doctrine." Note, if you would, those elders that rule well are those who labor in the Word and in doctrine. Just pointing out how pastors are referred to as elders. In the book of Titus, chapter 1 and verse 5, the Apostle Paul told Titus, "For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city as I appointed thee."
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Now here's a verse that everyone understands and everyone knows. James 5 and verse 14. The Scripture says, "...is any sick among you?" Is there any sick among you? Listen carefully. "...let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." And then one other passage referring to elders, 1 Peter 5 and verse 1, which we will look at just a little bit later. The Apostle Peter said, "The elders which are among you I exhort, who also am an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that is to be revealed." So, in the Bible, pastors are referred to as elders. Consequently, let me just point this out.
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A new convert or someone who's been recently converted cannot possibly be an elder. In fact, the Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 3, verse 6, "not a novice, lest, being lifted up in pride, he fall in the condemnation of the devil." Now, the word for novice there is the word neophutos. Literally, it's where we get our English word neophyte from. A neophyte is someone that is just a baby. Someone that has just been born, so to speak, or someone that is young and inexperienced. And so, a neophyte, someone that is new to the faith cannot possibly be an elder. An elder in the Bible is someone who is older, an ancient one, a bearded one.
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Now, there's a second word that is used, and that is the word bishop. Sometimes it is translated as overseer. The Greek word is the word episkopos, and it refers to one that is an overseer, one that has the duty and the responsibility and the authority to see that things are done correctly. So, if you look in verse 28 of Acts chapter 20, and we'll come back to this, so just hold on to Acts 20, at least mark it. In verse 28, the Apostle Paul said, "Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, or bishops, episkopos, to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood." So in Acts 20 and verse 28, the word is translated as overseers. However, when you get to 1 Timothy 3 and verse 1, the word is translated like this, "This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work." So it's translated as overseer in Acts 20 and verse 28, and it's translated as bishop in 1 Timothy 3 and verse 1.
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Now, the third designation is that of pastor. We're told in Ephesians 4 and verse 11, "And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastor-teachers."
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Now the word for pastor-teachers is the word poimainō, and it literally means to feed and to tend a flock, to rule, to govern, to nourish, and supply the needs. So, let me show you this before we get really into this. I want you to turn, hold if you would, Acts 20, but turn in your Bibles to the book of John 21. Here is a passage which is a classic that talks about the role of a pastor, the role of a shepherd. And let's begin with John 21 and read verses 15 through 17.
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Then I'm going to come back and make a comment or two. Look at verse 15, John 21. "So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He said unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith unto him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus said unto him, Feed my sheep." Now, when you look at verse 15, when our Lord says in the last part of that verse, "feed my lambs," and when you look at the last part of verse 17, when our Lord says, "feed my sheep," the Greek word is boskō, which means to feed and to keep.
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So, you're not only to feed the sheep, you are to defend and protect and keep the sheep. Interestingly, when you look at verse 16, and our Lord says, "feed My sheep," He uses the word, poimainō, which is the word for pastor or shepherd. Literally, He says, "shepherd My sheep." As a shepherd, the pastor is responsible to do everything that is necessary for the feeding, defending, and promoting of the sheep.
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Now, I've just given you three words from the Greek, and those words are interpreted or translated, I should say, several different ways in the Bible. First of all, remember presbyteros means an elder. Sometimes we just use the word presbyter.
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Secondly is the word episkopos, from which we get our word bishop or overseer. And thirdly, of course, is the word for shepherd.
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Now, let me point out the fact that these words actually describe one individual. For instance, if you go back in your Bibles to Acts chapter 20 and look at verse 28, and let me explain this. Acts 20, let's go to verse 17 first. Acts 20 verse 17, "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church." Now, from verse 18 on, the apostle is speaking to the elders of the church. So when you get to verse 28, he looks at them and says, "...take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God."
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So a pastor is an elder. He is also a bishop, and he's also a pastor as well. So let me try to put this together for you. The word elder describes the man. The word bishop or overseer describes his office. The word pastor or shepherd describes his work. So you have three words that refer to the man, to the office, and to the work. So consequently, an elder is also a bishop, but he also does the work of a shepherd.
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He does the pasturing and the shepherding of the flock. Now, I gave you all that information to say this, that one of the greatest problems that we have today in America is in the pulpit. And when I say in the pulpit, I'm referring to the men who are in the pulpit. A cursory study of the Scriptures will point out that the pastors of the day are nothing like the pastors and prophets in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Those men in the Old Testament and New Testament were bold, they were fearless, they were daring, and they confronted not only political but spiritual leaders in their depravity and their apostasy and in their wickedness.
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I hope you remember that passage where three kings, I think the king of Judah who was Jehoshaphat, and then the king of Samaria was Ahab, and then there was the king of Edom. They had gotten together and they were going to attack the king of Moab. And of course, they got out and they didn't have any water. And the king of Samaria said, "Alas, God hath brought these three kings together to kill us."
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And someone said, "Is there not a prophet around here?" "Oh yes, there's Elisha. He's the one who poured water on the hands of Elijah." "Well, let's go to Elisha." And when they got there, and Elisha looked up and he saw the King of Israel, Elisha said, "Were it not for the presence of Jehoshaphat, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee." Let me translate that for you, good South Georgia language.
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"I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire." That's what he told him. Then he said, "You get to your own prophets. Don't come around here with me." And he said, "No, no, no. God brought us here to kill us." And of course, then he went ahead and worked things out through, and he said, "Jehoshaphat's the one I'm concerned about, not you fellas. That's all there is to it."
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And you remember when our Lord had gotten through teaching and the disciples came up to him and said, "Knowest thou not that the Pharisees were offended?" May I paraphrase that again? Our Lord says, "Tough stuff." Really, he didn't say that. What he did say was this, "Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone. If the blind lead the blind, they shall both fall into the ditch."
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I'm just saying, the preachers of today are totally different. Can you imagine someone like Elijah looking at the president or a congressman saying, "I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire because you're a wicked, wicked man"? Well, no, they're not going to do that. Likewise, if you do a cursory study of history, you're going to find out that the preachers of today differ greatly from the preachers of the American Revolution, their first war for independence. They also differ greatly from the second war for independence, the war of northern aggression.
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Now, if you want to have a clear distinction in your mind, let me recommend three books for you. You need to really think about these. There's J.T. Headley's book, "The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution," which is an excellent book. Then there's "Christ in the Camp" by J. William Jones. And of course, there's W.W. Bennett's book, "The Revival in the Confederate Armies." When you read these books, you're going to be absolutely struck with the great difference between men of those ages and the men that we have today. Back in those days, those men were men. I'm going to give you some illustrations of this in the next two Sundays. They stood for truth. They stood for righteousness. They stood for obedience to God and His law. They preached to rulers. They preached to those who were in authority. And they preached to their own congregations, just like they preached to their own congregations. And they preached to these rulers just like they were ordinary men.
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I never will forget reading years ago about, and I've even forgotten which one it was, but some preacher, he was about to start the sermon and someone slipped up to him and handed him a little note and the note said, "Please be careful what you say. The governor is in the congregation today." And when the pastor got the note, he stood up in the pulpit, he said, "I was just given this note. 'Please be careful what you say. The governor is in the congregation today.'" He said, "I would like to tell the governor, if he doesn't repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, he'll go to hell just like anybody else."
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Well, you know, that's the truth. But you won't find people like that today, that is for sure. Today, we no longer have men like that. We have politically correct preacherettes who preach their sermonets to Christianettes who watch their TV sets and smoke their cigarettes. There's no declaration of the truth. There's no call to repentance. There's no proclamation of Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation. There's no teaching of the demands of the law. There's no discussion of biblical morality. There's no demand for submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. We have half-men that preach half-truths, and a half-truth presented as a whole truth is an untruth.
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In other words, it's a lie. It's just a bald-faced lie. And we've trained our people to believe a lie. We've trained our people in this day and age to believe that if they go to church on Sunday morning and hear 15 minutes or 20 or 30 minutes sermonette, that ought to hold them for a whole week. No, it just doesn't work like that. It does not work like that.
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We're more interested in pyramid building than we are in feeding the sheep. We have perverted the word success. And we've now made the word success to mean that you have a huge building and a big budget and lots of people attending your services. Well, let me show you something. I want you to look in your Bibles. Hold, if you would please, the book of Acts particularly. But go back in your Bibles to the book of Hosea. Hosea. Daniel, Hosea. Look, if you would, at Hosea chapter 8 and verse 14. Hosea 8 and verse 14. I want you to see what God says about Israel.
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This is exactly where we are today. Look in Hosea 8 and verse 14. The Bible says, "For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples. Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples. And Judah hath multiplied fenced cities. But I will set a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof." Today we are more interested in building buildings than we are in building individuals and families.
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We need shepherds, not pharaohs. Here is an interesting question. Have you ever heard of a church calling a pastor because he was a good shepherd, because he could expound and explain and apply the Scripture? No. They look for orators. They look for administrators. They look for someone to work with the young people. They look for someone who is going to present a good image. It doesn't really matter whether they can teach and expound and explain the Word of God or not.
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May I remind you of this simple truth, that all the patriarchs, the greatest of the lawgivers, Moses, the sweetest of the psalmists, David, and even many of the mightiest prophets, such as Amos, were all shepherds. Every one of them was a shepherd. God did not choose pharaohs to lead His people. He chose shepherds. And the Bible tells you in Genesis 46 and verse 34, "for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptian."
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And the same is true today. Those who will build mighty buildings, those who will have great crowds usually despise and look down upon those small, struggling works, where the Word of God is preached and the congregation is faithful. May I point something out? Anyone can build a big work based upon compromise, entertainment, feelings, and emotions. But those things are not lasting. They certainly are not eternal. Years ago, I preached in a larger church down in Florida, farther down in Florida. The church had over 300 in attendance.
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I went back the next year, and I only recognized a handful of people. The church had a 90% turnover. It was not in a resort town, and it was not in a college town. Now, something is wrong when you can lose 90% of your people in a year. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 3. And I think this passage will really help explain what is happening in our churches today.
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Let's just begin reading there with verse 11 and read through verse 17. Then I'm going to come back and try to show you this in its context. So look, if you would please, at verse 11, 1 Corinthians 3. The Apostle Paul says, "For other foundations can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
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"Now if any man builds upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, so as by fire."
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"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are."
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Now let me point something out. You read in verse 12, "now if any man," verse 13, "every man," verse 14, "any man," verse 15, "any man," any time you see the phrase "any man" in this context, if you would just simply say "any minister," because it's talking about preachers and preaching. Now, go back if you would please, verse 3. Paul says to these Corinthians, "for you are yet carnal, for whereas there is among you envy and strife and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men?" They were arguing over preachers. Now watch this. "For while one saith, I am a Paul, another, I am Apollos, are you not yet carnal?" Now look, "who then is Paul? and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believe, even as the Lord gave to every man or every minister. I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." Are you watching? "So then neither is he that planteth a minister anything, neither he that watereth a minister, but God that giveth increase. Now he that planteth the minister and he that watereth the minister are one, and every man or every minister shall receive his own reward according to his own labor."
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Now watch, "for we the ministers are laborers together with God, ye the people are God's husbandry, you are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation. And another, that is another builder, another minister, buildeth thereupon. But let every minister take heed how he buildeth thereupon, for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ." Now, very clearly in verse 9, Paul says, "we are the laborers, you are God's husbandry, you are God's building." Now skip down to verse 16. Notice this distinction again. "...Know ye not that ye," that is the people, "...are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? And if any man or minister defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." So in the context, the pastors are the builders, the believers are the building. Pastors are the husbandmen and the believers are the husbandry.
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It is the pastors that are building upon the foundation that was laid by the Apostle Paul. Now, the different kinds of materials speak of different kinds of people or converts. He talks about gold, silver, and precious stones, and He talks about wood, hay, and stubble. Let me tell you something. There's a huge difference between the converts that I make and the converts that God makes. There's a huge difference between those whom I convince and those whom the Holy Ghost convinces.
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The Bible says that He adds to the church daily such as should be saved. I never will forget hearing about Billy Sunday, that Presbyterian evangelist who was walking down the street. And up came an old drunk staggering to Billy Sunday, and he said, "Hey, Mr. Sunday, don't you recognize me?" Billy Sunday said, "No." Well, he said, "I'm one of your converts." Billy Sunday said, "Bless God you must be. You're certainly not one of God's." Well, you know, that's exactly what the Scripture is talking about.
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It is easy and quick to build with wood, hay and stubble because they are plenteous and they are cheap. But it's very difficult and time-consuming and costly to build with gold and silver and precious stones. So what the Apostle is telling us in 1 Corinthians 3 is we have to determine whether or not we're going to build temples or whether or not we're going to build people.
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So I could ask you this question. Would I like to preach to thousands every Sunday? And the answer would be yes, as long as they really, truly wanted the Word of God. But the truth is, I'd much rather preach to ten people who want the truth than 10,000 who could care less about it. Would I prefer a nice, beautiful building? Well, of course. I'm like everyone else. I like beautiful things. But I will tell you this, I'd much rather build people and families than buildings. Buildings don't last. But folks who are saved last through eternity. And if you don't believe that buildings do not last, come to our area and let me show you where the tornado went through a few weeks ago.
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You'll find buildings absolutely, totally devastated and destroyed. You see, Zechariah chapter 4 and verse 10 warns us not to despise the day of small things. Men that are called in the ministry must determine whether they're going to be hirelings or shepherds. They must determine whether they're going to build buildings or whether they're going to build people. Is the ministry a job or is it a calling? I have a friend who as a young man was considering entering into the ministry, and he asked his pastor, "Why did you become a pastor?"
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And the answer he got shocked him. The pastor said, "because it's a good job." That's it. It's a good job. I know another man who was a pastor. In fact, I had a service with him. And I heard someone compliment him on his part of the service. And he responded, "of course, I did a good job. I'm a professional." What? Where is the ministry? Where is the calling? You look around today and the truth of the matter is most men, I'm talking about pastors, but you don't have to be a pastor.
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All of us want to be recognized. All of us want to be honored. All of us want to be held up and held in high esteem. But you know what our Lord said in John 5 and verse 44? He looked at those Pharisees and He asked this question. "How then can you believe who seek honor from men and seek not only the honor that cometh from God?" In other words, our Lord says, when you desire praise and recognition and admiration of man, it makes faith impossible. How then can you believe when you're just seeking that?
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You see, the ministry is a trust. Let me ask you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 1. And notice if you would, beginning there with verse 11. Look what the Apostle Paul says. 1 Timothy 1 and verse 11. He says, "...according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." But note he said, "...according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust."
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So when we fail to be a true under-shepherd, we're actually treasonous and we're betraying our trust. We're acting like hirelings rather than like shepherds. And God certainly condemns those who act like a hireling. Let me just read to you Micah 3, verses 9-12. I want you to listen to what God says. "'Hear this, I pray you, you heads of the house of Jacob and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment and pervert equity.'" Now listen carefully.
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"'They build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire. And the prophets thereof divine for money. Yet they will lean upon the Lord and say, Is not the Lord among us? None harm can come unto us.' And our Lord says, 'Therefore shall Zion be plowed like a field.'" God said, "I will tear you up."
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Now, today I want to give you very quickly two things that a shepherd does. First of all, a shepherd warns and a hireling flees. You read that in John chapter 10. The hireling flees when the wolf approaches, but the shepherd does not flee. He warns the sheep. When you read Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Habakkuk, all of these men speak of watchmen. It is the watchman's responsibility to warn of danger. And the pastor, as an under-shepherd, has the responsibility to warn of danger when he sees it. Now, the danger may be in any shape or form. It may be physical danger. It may be doctrinal danger. It may be societal danger. It may be financial danger. Whatever it is, as long as it is danger for the sheep, the shepherd has a responsibility to warn them. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 3. You will also find this in Ezekiel 33, but just look in Ezekiel 3, and let's begin reading there with verse 17. Watch this.
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Ezekiel 3, beginning there with verse 17. God is talking to Ezekiel about being a watchman, and He says this. Ezekiel 3, verse 17. "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman of the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word at my mouth, watch, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life. The same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die, because thou hast not given him warning. He shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered, but his blood will I require at thy hand."
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"Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned, also thou hast delivered thy soul." So it's the responsibility of the watchman to warn.
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Now, let me point out the fact, we must not only warn of wolves and danger, but we must warn also of "wolves in sheep's clothing." If you will go back in your Bibles to Acts chapter 20 again, Acts chapter 20, and look, if you would please, at what the Apostle Paul says. Watch carefully, Acts chapter 20. Let's begin there with verse 28 again. Acts 20 verse 28.
#55 | 40:49 to 41:26 | cleaned
Paul tells these elders, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Now watch, "'For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.'" So there's going to be extreme danger. The flock has to be warned.
#56 | 41:26 to 41:54 | cleaned
But look at verse 30, "'Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them.'" In other words, some decide they want the flock to follow them instead of following the Lord Jesus Christ. And they are going to rise from the midst of these elders. So just because a man is a preacher does not necessarily mean that he is God's preacher. Just because a man says he's a pastor does not mean that he is God's pastor. Well, you're going to ask, how can you tell the difference?
#57 | 41:54 to 42:35 | cleaned
And the answer is very simple. According to Isaiah 8 and verse 20, "To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them." The true pastor is going to expound and explain and apply the Word of God. You remember I just read from the book of Ezekiel that if we fail to warn, the blood is on our hands. Here's a good question. How do we remove blood from our hands? How do we refrain from being charged with blood guilt?
#58 | 42:35 to 43:16 | cleaned
Certainly, it is not by witnessing to everyone that we see. I've heard preachers say, "You've got to witness to everybody that you see, or their blood is on your hand." May I point out, that is humanly impossible. If Alice asked me to go to town and buy a gallon of milk, and I witnessed to everyone that I saw, I would never come back home. I wouldn't. It would be impossible. But if you will look in Acts chapter 20, verses 20 and 21, the Apostle Paul begins to tell us how we can rid ourselves of blood guilt. Look in verse 20.
#59 | 43:18 to 44:00 | cleaned
He said, "...and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." Now watch this. He said, "...how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you." Wow! Well, let me ask you a question. How much of the Word of God is profitable? All of it. 2 Timothy 3, verse 16, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness."
#60 | 44:00 to 44:47 | cleaned
Now, skip down if you would please to verses 26 and 27. He says, "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men." Well, Paul, how did you get pure from the blood of all men? Did you witness to everyone? No. Look in verse 27, "For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." You get free from the blood of all men by preaching the whole counsel of God. You preach all the Word of God.
#61 | 44:47 to 45:17 | cleaned
Whether people like it or not is immaterial. Deuteronomy 8 and verse 3, the Bible says that God wanted to make known to man that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Our Lord used that very verse in Luke 4 and verse 4. Jesus answered him by saying, "It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."
#62 | 45:17 to 45:47 | cleaned
It does matter what we preach. It does matter what we believe. It does matter how we live. It does matter whether or not we obey. And it does matter whether or not all of God's Word is taught. The Bible says in Proverbs 13, verse 5, that every Word of God is pure. And we have to warn and we have to teach and preach the whole Word of God, the whole counsel of God, whether people like it or not. There are people who get angry. There are people who get upset. There are people who get mad. People who despise it. It's immaterial. If it's the Word of God, it is to be taught, whether people believe it or not or like it or not. It's not my responsibility to make you believe. It's my responsibility to teach and to preach.
#63 | 45:48 to 46:39 | cleaned
So, the shepherd warns and the hireling flees. Here's the second thing. A shepherd feeds, and a hireling takes. If you will turn in your Bibles to back to 1 Peter chapter 5, and let's read there several verses. 1 Peter chapter 5, beginning there with verse 1. 1 Peter 5, verse 1. Look what he says. 1 Peter 5 and verse 1. "The elders which are among you I exhort, who also am an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed." Now look what he says to the elders, to the pastors. "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof," that is, being the bishop, being the overseer. You are the one who is called to rule under Christ.
#64 | 46:39 to 47:50 | cleaned
"You feed them, you take the responsibility, the oversight, not by constraint, nobody makes you, but you do it willingly, not for filthy lucre, that is not for money's sake, but of a ready mind. Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." Now interestingly enough, He says you're to do this willingly and not just for money's sake.
#65 | 47:51 to 48:26 | cleaned
I was told recently about a well-known preacher who was asked to speak one night in a special meeting. And that well-known pastor asked for a $10,000 honorarium for the one night, the expenses that he would incur in his own personal private jet flying there. Plus, he had to be put up in the most expensive motel in town. So may I ask you this? Where's ministry in that? Where's ministry in that?
#66 | 48:27 to 49:13 | cleaned
Where is it where our Lord said, "freely you receive, freely give"? I've just something to point out. In Isaiah 56 and verse 11, you know what God calls the false shepherd? He calls them greedy dogs. He says, "Yea, they're greedy dogs, they can never have enough, and they're shepherds that cannot understand. They look to their own, everyone for his own gain from his quarter." I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel 34. Go to the book of Ezekiel 34, and I want to just read the first 11 verses. I want you to see this. This is absolutely astounding. Remember now, if you would, what a shepherd is supposed to do.
#67 | 49:16 to 50:04 | cleaned
To love the sheep, to feed the sheep, to heal the sheep, to take care of the sheep, to search for them, to bring them home safely. Look in Ezekiel 34 beginning in verse 1. "And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds, Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?"
#68 | 50:05 to 50:38 | cleaned
"You eat the fat, and you clothe you with the wool. You kill them that are fed, but you feed not the flock. The diseased have you not strengthened? Neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken, neither have you brought again that which was driven away, neither have you sought that which was lost, but with force and with cruelty have you ruled them."
#69 | 50:39 to 51:04 | cleaned
"And they were scattered because there is no shepherd. And they became meat to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered." No protection. "And they were scattered because there is no shepherd. And they became meat to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains upon every high hill. Yea, the flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them."
#70 | 51:05 to 51:29 | cleaned
"Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd. Neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not the flock. Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock. Neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more, for I will deliver My flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them out." Note, if you would, everything that a shepherd was supposed to do.
#71 | 51:30 to 52:26 | cleaned
These did not do it. They just simply did the opposite. Now, let me try to just make a couple of applications. I want you to think about this. First of all, the true test of a shepherd is does He feed the flock? Does He feed the flock? Does He give the flock the Word of God? And when I say that, all of it. You go to the average church and you can hear a sermon on sin, salvation, soul winning, sometimes the way you dress, and that's it. You hear it over and over and over. I probably would have told you this, but years ago, we were traveling and Alice and I went to church with a good friend of ours.
#72 | 52:27 to 53:25 | cleaned
And it was on Wednesday night. They'd gotten a new pastor. He was a doctor. And I really didn't want to go, but I went because of my friend, because I knew what the service would be like. So the man opened his Bible and read his text. I took a pen out of my pocket. I had one back then. I took a pen out of my pocket, wrote on a piece of paper and handed it to Alice, and I said, "Here's what he's going to say. Here's his points."
#73 | 53:27 to 53:56 | cleaned
And he preached that right down the line. Alice said, "How in the world did you know what he was going to say?" That's because when you hear one, you've heard them all. And it's the truth. It's the truth. When you're stuck with just two or three messages, that's all you can say over and over and over. The Bible is full of truth. It is truth. And the Word of God, according to Jeremiah, is like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. It's like a fire that melts a hardened heart. Jeremiah 23. So we have to preach and teach all of the Word of God. God knows exactly what someone needs to hear to melt their heart. So, does the man expound and explain and apply the Word of God? How in the world can you believe something if you don't hear it or know it? How can you obey something that you're totally unaware of and ignorant of? It's impossible. So, the whole counsel of God must be preached.
#74 | 53:57 to 55:08 | cleaned
Secondly, a true shepherd will also warn of all kinds of danger. He'll cry out against anything and everything that is contrary to the sheep and which would inevitably hurt the sheep. A hireling could care less. A hireling's not going to warn of danger. He's just going to get out of dodge himself. He's not going to try to prepare or protect the people. Our Lord in John 10 is making a clear distinction between a hireling and a shepherd. And I want to tell you this, all of the young preachers that are coming along, and I pray God raises up many of them, but they need to understand that they must make a choice as to whether they will be a hireling or a shepherd, whether they'll be a pharaoh or a shepherd, whether they'll build buildings or serve God.
#75 | 55:08 to 56:03 | cleaned
If God allows them to have a big, wonderful building and they can still expound and explain and apply the Word of God, wonderful. There's nothing wrong with that. But if I have to make a choice, I'd rather have somebody that really, truly, genuinely wants the Word of God. A shepherd is more interested in building people and families than he is in building buildings and trying to make a name for himself. We need to pray that God will raise up shepherds in our day and time. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee.
#76 | 56:05 to 56:51 | cleaned
We thank You for Your truth. We thank You for Your Word. We ask, Lord, that You would indeed raise up shepherds in this day and age. Raise up men that will cry out and warn of danger. Raise up men that will feed the flock of God. And give us, Lord, Your grace and Your mercy that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we ask and pray, Amen.
#77 | 56:52 to 57:19 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T19:09:37Z

Hireling or Shepherd Part 1

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, John Weaver contrasts the biblical roles of a hireling and a shepherd, using John 10:11-15 as the foundational text. He explains that a true shepherd loves, feeds, and protects the sheep, while a hireling works only for money and abandons the flock in danger. Weaver extends this metaphor to modern pastors, arguing that many today are hirelings who prioritize building large churches and seeking personal recognition over faithfully preaching the whole counsel of God. He emphasizes that a true shepherd warns of spiritual and doctrinal dangers and feeds the flock with all of Scripture, not just popular topics. The sermon calls for a return to bold, biblical shepherding and warns against the superficial success of modern church growth.

Introduction to the Hireling and Shepherd

Weaver reads John 10:11-15 and introduces the clear distinction between a hireling, who works for money and abandons the sheep, and a shepherd, who loves, feeds, and protects the sheep.

Scripture Reading — John 10:11-15

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth a wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth. And the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep."

Biblical Titles for Pastors

Weaver explains that pastors are called elders (presbyteros), bishops/overseers (episkopos), and shepherds (poimainō), with each term describing the man, his office, and his work respectively.

Scripture Reading — Acts 20:17

"And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church."

Scripture Reading — Acts 20:28

"Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, or bishops, episkopos, to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood."

Then I'm going to come back and make a comment or two. Look at verse 15, John 21.

Scripture Reading — John 21:15-17

"So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He said unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith unto him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus said unto him, Feed my sheep."

The Problem with Modern Preachers

Weaver laments that today's pastors lack the boldness of biblical prophets and historical preachers, often being politically correct and avoiding hard truths.

Building Temples vs. Building People

Using Hosea 8:14 and 1 Corinthians 3, Weaver argues that many churches focus on building impressive buildings and large crowds rather than spiritually building individuals and families.

This is exactly where we are today. Look in Hosea 8 and verse 14. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Hosea 8:14

"For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples. Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples. And Judah hath multiplied fenced cities. But I will set a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof."

Scripture Reading — Genesis 46:34

"for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptian."

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 3:11-17

"For other foundations can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

The Ministry as a Trust, Not a Job

Weaver stresses that the ministry is a divine trust, not a career for personal gain, and that seeking honor from men makes faith impossible (John 5:44).

The Shepherd Warns of Danger

Drawing from Ezekiel 3 and Acts 20, Weaver teaches that a true shepherd must warn the flock of spiritual dangers, including false teachers, and that failure to do so brings blood guilt.

The Shepherd Feeds the Flock

Weaver explains that a shepherd feeds the sheep with the whole counsel of God, not just a few repeated topics, and contrasts this with hirelings who exploit the flock for personal gain (Ezekiel 34).

Conclusion and Call for True Shepherds

Hireling or Shepherd Part 1

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	1272000174012
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2020-01-19
Dictation Name
Book	Book 030: Hireling or Shepherd — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	77

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction to the Hireling and Shepherd: Weaver reads John 10:11-15 and introduces the clear distinction between a hireling, who works for money and abandons the sheep, and a shepherd, who loves, feeds, and protects the sheep.
Biblical Titles for Pastors: Weaver explains that pastors are called elders (presbyteros), bishops/overseers (episkopos), and shepherds (poimainō), with each term describing the man, his office, and his work respectively.
The Problem with Modern Preachers: Weaver laments that today's pastors lack the boldness of biblical prophets and historical preachers, often being politically correct and avoiding hard truths.
Building Temples vs. Building People: Using Hosea 8:14 and 1 Corinthians 3, Weaver argues that many churches focus on building impressive buildings and large crowds rather than spiritually building individuals and families.
The Ministry as a Trust, Not a Job: Weaver stresses that the ministry is a divine trust, not a career for personal gain, and that seeking honor from men makes faith impossible (John 5:44).
The Shepherd Warns of Danger: Drawing from Ezekiel 3 and Acts 20, Weaver teaches that a true shepherd must warn the flock of spiritual dangers, including false teachers, and that failure to do so brings blood guilt.
The Shepherd Feeds the Flock: Weaver explains that a shepherd feeds the sheep with the whole counsel of God, not just a few repeated topics, and contrasts this with hirelings who exploit the flock for personal gain (Ezekiel 34).
Conclusion and Call for True Shepherds: Weaver concludes by urging young preachers to choose to be shepherds rather than hirelings, prioritizing the spiritual growth of people over building projects, and prays for God to raise up faithful shepherds.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

A hireling abandons the sheep in danger, but a shepherd protects them.

Weaver argues that the defining mark of a hireling is self-preservation, while a shepherd risks himself for the flock.

He says, 'The hireling flees when the wolf approaches, but the shepherd does not flee. He warns the sheep.'

Modern pastors often lack the boldness of biblical prophets.

Weaver contends that today's preachers are timid and politically correct, unlike prophets like Elijah who confronted wicked rulers directly.

He recounts Elijah's words to the king: 'I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire.'

Church success is wrongly measured by buildings and budgets.

Weaver argues that the modern church equates success with large facilities and crowds, but God values faithful shepherding of people.

He says, 'We have perverted the word success. And we've now made the word success to mean that you have a huge building and a big budget and lots of people attending your services.'

God chose shepherds, not pharaohs, to lead His people.

Weaver points out that biblical leaders like Moses and David were shepherds, and that shepherds are often despised by the world.

He states, 'God did not choose pharaohs to lead His people. He chose shepherds.'

Preaching the whole counsel of God frees a pastor from blood guilt.

Weaver argues that a pastor is not responsible for the blood of those who reject the warning if he has faithfully declared all of God's Word.

He quotes Acts 20:26-27: 'I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.'

A true shepherd feeds the flock, while a hireling takes from them.

Weaver contrasts the selfless feeding of the shepherd with the exploitative nature of the hireling, who uses the flock for personal gain.

He reads Ezekiel 34:2-3: 'Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! ... Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool.'

The ministry is a calling, not a job for personal benefit.

Weaver insists that true ministry is a divine trust, and those who treat it as a career for money or prestige are hirelings.

He shares an anecdote of a pastor who said he entered the ministry 'because it's a good job.'

Seeking honor from men makes faith impossible.

Weaver argues that a desire for human recognition and praise undermines genuine faith in God.

He quotes John 5:44: 'How then can you believe who seek honor from men and seek not only the honor that cometh from God?'

Scripture References

John 10:11-15: The primary text of the sermon, where Jesus contrasts the good shepherd who lays down his life with the hireling who flees.
Psalm 80:1: Cited to show that God is called the Shepherd of Israel.
Hebrews 13:20-21: Referred to as calling Jesus the Great Shepherd.
1 Peter 2:25: Mentioned to show Jesus is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls.
1 Peter 5:4: Cited to show Jesus is the Chief Shepherd.
Acts 20:17: Used to demonstrate that pastors are called elders.
1 Timothy 5:17: Cited to show elders who rule well labor in the Word and doctrine.
Titus 1:5: Referenced to show Paul instructed Titus to ordain elders.
James 5:14: Mentioned to show the sick should call for the elders of the church.
1 Peter 5:1: Cited to show Peter exhorts elders as a fellow elder.
1 Timothy 3:6: Used to argue that a new convert cannot be an elder.
Acts 20:28: Shows that elders are made overseers by the Holy Ghost to feed the church.
1 Timothy 3:1: Cited to show the office of a bishop is a good work.
Ephesians 4:11: Mentioned to show Christ gave some as pastor-teachers.
John 21:15-17: Used to illustrate the pastoral command to feed and shepherd the sheep.
Hosea 8:14: Cited to warn against building temples while forgetting God.
Genesis 46:34: Quoted to show that every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.
1 Corinthians 3:11-17: Used to illustrate that pastors build on the foundation of Christ with varying materials, representing converts.
Zechariah 4:10: Cited to warn against despising the day of small things.
John 5:44: Quoted to show that seeking honor from men makes faith impossible.

Historical References

J.T. Headley's book 'The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution': Recommended as a resource showing the boldness of preachers during the American Revolution.
J. William Jones' book 'Christ in the Camp': Recommended as a resource on chaplains during the Civil War.
W.W. Bennett's book 'The Revival in the Confederate Armies': Recommended as a resource on revival among Confederate soldiers.
Billy Sunday: Anecdote about the evangelist Billy Sunday distinguishing his converts from God's converts.

Important Quotes

The shepherd loves the sheep. He feeds the sheep. He protects the sheep. The hireling is only there for money. He really does not care for the sheep.

This quote succinctly captures the central contrast of the sermon between the selfless shepherd and the selfish hireling.

We have politically correct preacherettes who preach their sermonets to Christianettes who watch their TV sets and smoke their cigarettes.

A sharp critique of modern, watered-down preaching that avoids hard truths and caters to comfort.

We need shepherds, not pharaohs.

A concise call for pastoral leadership focused on people rather than power and building projects.

God did not choose pharaohs to lead His people. He chose shepherds.

Highlights the biblical pattern of God using humble shepherds rather than worldly rulers.

You get free from the blood of all men by preaching the whole counsel of God. You preach all the Word of God.

Emphasizes the pastor's duty to declare all of Scripture to avoid blood guilt.

Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

A direct biblical rebuke of self-serving pastors, central to the sermon's warning.

I'd much rather build people and families than buildings.

Expresses the priority of spiritual investment over physical infrastructure.

How then can you believe who seek honor from men and seek not only the honor that cometh from God?

A key verse used to argue that seeking human praise undermines genuine faith.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What are the key differences between a hireling and a shepherd according to John 10:11-15?

[Context]

Weaver introduces the sermon by reading this passage and explaining the contrast.

[Question]

How do the biblical titles of elder, bishop, and shepherd help us understand the role of a pastor?

[Context]

Weaver explains that these terms describe the man, his office, and his work.

[Question]

In what ways do modern preachers differ from the bold prophets and pastors of the Bible and history?

[Context]

Weaver laments the lack of boldness and truth-telling in contemporary pulpits.

[Question]

What does it mean to build with gold, silver, and precious stones versus wood, hay, and stubble in ministry?

[Context]

Weaver uses 1 Corinthians 3 to discuss the quality of converts and ministry work.

[Question]

Why is preaching the whole counsel of God essential for a pastor to be free from blood guilt?

[Context]

Weaver explains Acts 20:26-27 and the responsibility to declare all of God's Word.

[Question]

What are the consequences for shepherds who feed themselves rather than the flock, as described in Ezekiel 34?

[Context]

Weaver reads Ezekiel 34:1-10 to show God's judgment on neglectful leaders.

[Question]

How can a pastor balance the desire for a large ministry with the call to faithfully shepherd a smaller flock?

[Context]

Weaver discusses the temptation to measure success by numbers and buildings.

[Question]

What practical steps can a church take to ensure they are calling a shepherd rather than a hireling?

[Context]

Weaver critiques the common criteria churches use when searching for a pastor.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:18:46Z