First Baptist Church
February 8, 2026
  • The Church's One Foundation (Aurelia)
  • Thy Word

      • Psalm 95:1–11ESV

  • Jesus The Shepherd Of My Soul (Psalm 23)
  • Introduction:
    Tasks of a shepherd.… more than just feeding...
    “The finest test of the consecration of a minister of Christ is not in his public performances, but in what he does when the world is not looking.”- Charles Jefferson
    Many titles for pastor… most endearing is the word shepherd?
    Why is the term shepherd so endearing to us?
    Pastor is the latin word meaning shepherd.
    What is this picture behind us.… It gives clue into another important task of a shepherd.… watchmen.
    In biblical times, the role of a shepherd was integral to the agrarian society of ancient Israel. Shepherds were responsible for the care, guidance, and protection of sheep, which were valuable for their wool, milk, and meat. To aid in their duties, shepherds often utilized watch towers, which served as elevated structures providing a vantage point for overseeing the flock and the surrounding landscape.
    When Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Habakuk talk about shepherds, they call them watchmen set to warn and save. One notable reference to watch towers in a pastoral context is found in the book of Micah:
    "As for you, O watchtower of the flock, O stronghold of the Daughter of Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to the Daughter of Jerusalem" (Micah 4:8).
    Here, the "watchtower of the flock" symbolizes a place of protection and oversight, reflecting the shepherd's role in safeguarding the sheep.
    We also have it in connection with those that don’t.
    Isaiah 56:9–12 ESV
    All you beasts of the field, come to devour— all you beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have enough. But they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all. “Come,” they say, “let me get wine; let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure.”
    The scripture Isaiah 56:10-12 provides a clear picture of the spiritual leaders of Israel as watchmen. They are described as blind, ignorant, and unable to bark. This metaphor highlights their lack of awareness and responsibility in caring for their people. The watchmen are compared to dumb dogs and shepherds that cannot understand, indicating a failure to heed the warnings of the Lord. The scripture emphasizes the importance of spiritual vigilance and the need for those in leadership roles to be attentive and responsive to the needs of their people.
    That’s exactly what the apostle Paul says in his final words to the dear elders/pastors of the church of Ephesus.
    Acts 20:25–35 ESV
    And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
    The Shepherd’s task involves preaching, but we will quickly see how vital it is that the pastor also involves himself in the task of alerting the flock.

    I. Descriptions of the Task

    A. What does it mean to be alert?

    “Pay careful attention” “Keep watch” “Be on guard”
    Other scriptures include the ideas of being sober, being vigilant…
    Like a working smoke detector, ready to go off at the exact moment it senses something is wrong....
    Not lazy, not drowsy, not haphazard or careless, not focused elsewhere or distracted but intensive. Vigilance is a cardinal and critical virtue as we will come to see.
    Jesus repeated this same phrase and idea often in the gospels… watch and pray.
    I especially think about the time in the garden when Jesus instructed them to do this… watch and pray… yet every that Jesus went back to see them, what were the disciples doing? Sleeping… Is it any wonder why the disciples failed so miserably after that moment, why each of them was so caught of guard when Jesus’ was arrested… why each of them abandoned Christ. They weren’t prayed. They fell because they weren’t alert, they weren’t vigilant. Likely distracted and careless.

    B. Who should elders be watching?

    1. “Yourselves”-

    just that mean individual you or watching out for other elders
    Acts Chapter 20

    This is the first duty of a minister; for without this all his preaching will be vain.

    Being disqualified was one of Paul’s biggest concerns… running the race according to the rules… he knew that temptation for himself is all to prevalent and knew that Timothy would face the same struggles.
    That’s why Paul repeated this same command in his first letter to the man (Timothy) whom Paul placed in the city of Ephesus to shepherd the flock of God there.
    1 Timothy 4:16 ESV
    Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
    What should they be watching for?
    Acts Chapter 20

    In addition to the temptations which they have in common with other men, they are exposed to those peculiar to their office—flattery & pride, ambition & greed, despair & hopelessness, as well as worldly-mindedness.

    It maybe be hard to believe but depression is often things that pastors can struggle with the most. Because of the public position they have (often criticized) and the responsibilities to care for many, lots of pastors can sink into depression over the issues they face. Men that we often considered pretty “great” struggled intensely with depression… Charles Spurgeon- “the prince of Preachers”- is one such preacher well-documented for having seasons of deep depression.
    Spurgeon reminded us that
    “...though we look to the triumph of Christ’s resurrection, we must not forget that we follow a Lord who suffered and was crucified and experienced his own seasons of trial; he was a man of sorrows. Therefore, we can actually become united to Christ in new ways, even through our struggles. Spurgeon noted that these struggles and difficulties are not a sign of rejection, but are used to draw us closer to God (such as the Apostle Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”), and that he often experienced his darkest struggles right before God did something amazing in and through him.” - Charles Spurgeon
    Greed is yet another major factor that shepherds should be on guard against. It marks out true followers from false teachers as we will see later in the text, but it is every bit still a major temptation that shepherds should watch out for.
    Majorly, shepherds should be careful on their own teaching. Being careful to evaluate their own diet of spiritual foods as what Paul told Timothy… keep a close watch... on the teaching. Becareful not to be lead astray by things that have an appearance of godliness but don’t actually have any power.
    Few verses before this, Paul warns Timothy
    1 Timothy 4:7 ESV
    Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;
    1 Timothy 4:7 NLT
    Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly.
    In other words, doctrines that have no basis in Scripture. That’s where history can be our friend. A believer cannot discover a new doctrine. So we go back to those early writers and see how close the stuck to the original understanding of truth. When a doctrine appears “new” it should be closely evaluated. Much of the charismatic movement should be concerned with these thoughts. There rise to prominence and there teaching are a fairly “new” doctrine.
    It had it’s precussors in the holiness movement of the 1700 & 1800’s but really took off in the early 1900’s in Topeka Kansas. Where Charles Parham taught on speaking in tongues to have one of His students do so on the very first day of the century. Jan. 1, 1901. Later, He taught that tongues was a supernatural impartation of human languages for the purpose of world evangelization. His belief was that missionaries need not study foreign languages since they would be able to preach in miraculous tongues all over the world.
    That backfired, time and time again.… Another example of this is found in Aimee Semple McPherson… who sent her husband to do the same on the foreign mission field. It failed.
    And all this is still yet a massive departure from what modern charismatic churches do today… where speaking in tongues looks nothing close to resembling how the early 1900’s supposedly used it. That should give us some clues...
    Today’s modern charismatic uses the terms the Lord told me as a way to honestly manipulate congregations to do the so called Apostles ways. Can’t challenge that because this is the Lord’s annointed. We ought to be very careful with this. Sadly enough, many once sound pastors have leaned into this and are unwilling to call out falsehood but join with those that speak silly myths.
    (Show facebook post from Justin Peters)
    Francis Chan is one such that failed to call out false teachers but instead endorses those that contradict sound doctrine.

    2. “The Flock of God”

    (shepherding terms)- one of God’s favorite ways of identifying the body of Christ in context of pastoral work.
    Think of this, sheep are amongst the most defenseless of all animals. They don’t possess any abilities of attack or defense. No sharp claws, their teeth aren’t really that deadly, they have no hard shell, they don’t have powerful muscles.… and to top it all of, they aren’t all that fast. Most predators can easily overcome them with ease. In fact, there are animals that are half the sheep’s size that take them down. Coyotes, birds of prey, and even foxes are known for the killing of sheep.
    God didn’t say keep watch out for the group of bison, or the pack of lions, or the herd of elephants… but the flock of sheep. Nope just plain defenseless sheep.
    Think about it. These sheep are completely dependent on the care and protection of others. Without the wisdom and strength of man, these sheep are without any safety.
    As you think about that, it should be a harrowing reminder about the realities of God picturing us as sheep. Completely defenseless on our own. We are sorely reliant on God’s means of protection and provision, such as the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and the Shepherd’s that God gives us.
    A timely warning proven true by later events at Ephesus. (1 Tim. 1:3-7, 1 Tim. 1:19-20, 1 Timothy 6:20-21)
    We see this all very well tied up in the word overseers… Another of the words that Paul and the Apostles used to describe the pastor. The Greek word is episcope and comes from a root word that means “to inspect” and by implication “to look out or look after.”  The word itself stress the leader’s responsibility to watch over and protect their congregations.
    Acts: Verse by Verse Paul Says Farewell to the Elders from Ephesus (20:13–38)

    The term was often used for the leaders of Israel, both military (

    That’s why Hebrews 13:17 makes such a huge statement about this!
    Hebrews 13:17 ESV
    Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
    Macarthur makes a very helpful statement when addressing the role of an overseer.
    “Church rule, which minimizes the biblical authority of elders in favor of a cultural, democratic process, is foreign to the New Testament.”
    God gives this vital task to elders alone, but they must do it well.
    Acts D. Personal Responsibility (vv. 25–31)

    Guard the flock; shepherd the flock; warn the flock. The church can resist false teaching in direct proportion to its knowledge of and dedication to the Scripture

    II. Reason for the Task

    Why should we do it? These might seem obvious to us but the text clearly brings these ideas out.

    A. God-Ordained Task

    “Holy Spirit made you an overseer”- divine enablement… desire is evident but man doesn’t just decide to be a pastor… it’s a God-ordained work… but also an encouragement for active Pastor’s that the Holy Spirit is the active agent in the pastor’s work.

    B. Valuable Task

    How critical is it that pastors care in this way?
    “in which He (Jesus) obtained (PURCHASED) with His own blood!- NOT A LITE PAYMENT BUT A STEEP PRICE.
    Very convicting phrase for all pastors. It is crucial that we think thoughtfully about all the sheep that have been put into our care.… imagine the master coming back to find sheep missing because the pastor neglected to be alert. These sheep are valuable to Christ. Each one of them purchased with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Each one of them is of great value to Him. If we aren’t concerned by each and every one of the sheep, then we have to reconsider our position as a pastor.
    Now that is an extremely difficult task. It’s hard enough to parent a few kids, it’s exhausting to keep tabs on just them, but to do so with an entire church is even more difficult, we could say impossible. Thankfully, God didn’t design the job for just one person. The chief shepherd might lead in it, and provide oversight, but there are many who are given the opportunity to keep watch. Delegation is a pastoral obligation if the shepherd is to fulfill his role. He just has to be sure that he is delegating properly and in the right direction.
    Even with the best delegation and the most intent heart to minister to needs, shepherds fail. But our Good Shepherd never fails. John 6:37
    John 10:27–29 ESV
    My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
    Nothing escapes his perfect watch & nothing surprises him. He has no weakness, and He can’t be distracted. Therefore, we can have complete confidence in his protection.
    Psalm 121:1–8 ESV
    I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

    C. Critically Dangerous Task

    1. Where do the dangers come from?

    (Double Invasion)
    Outside
    fierce wolves will come in among you...
    Words of Paul continue the theme of shepherd but draw from Christ’s own words
    Luke 10:3 ESV
    Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
    These such ferocious animals are the spiritual representation of false teachers. They are cunning but they are vicious.
    Problem is, they don’t always look harmful… they are oftentimes wolves in sheep’s clothing.
    Inside
    Maybe it’s hard to us to believe this, but scripture time and again says that false teachers and wolves will be right apart of our own gathers.

    2. What do they seek to do?

    “not sparing the flock”
    None of their goal is to grow the body up.… their only goal....
    “draw away the disciples after them”
    It’s a self-centered approach to “christianity”. How can I make christianity serve me?
    What do I get out of it?

    3. By what means do they do it?

    Their means “speaking twisted things”…
    Here’s there craft...
    Romans 16:17–18 ESV
    I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
    Flattery- you could define as the goal to make people feel good about themselves… it’s not really building them up, but it’s making them feel good about themselves so that they can prosper more.
    2 Peter 2:3 ESV
    And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
    And thru division
    1 Timothy 6:3–5 ESV
    If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain
    Todd White-
    airplane (coach verses first class- 2 hour flight- saving 10 of thousands of dollars.
    on the phone with staff who recently lost someone, and rather than expressing empathy … “you’d be proud of me...”
    The watchman.  I always feel a measure of responsibility when I read this.  I know it was the Lord’s word specifically to Ezekiel, but I feel that every believer (and pastors in particular) bears a responsibility to hear God’s word and speak it, and to warn those in danger.  
    I think of the famous case of Kitty Genovese in 1964.  She was a 28 year old woman attacked and stabbed to death in New York City, while 38 witnesses watched from their windows or doorways and did nothing.  They didn’t want to get involved.  Outrage followed because we instinctively know that doing nothing is wrong.  
    The watchman image appeals to that same sense of duty to our fellow human beings.  If you see someone going the wrong way, doing the wrong thing, speak up.  Warn them because you care and you can.  As I said, this responsibility is incumbent upon all of us who know Jesus and know His word and His will.  
    Speak up!
    “To Jesus, life is critical - the soul is ever in the midst of perils. The journey from the cradle to the grave is hazardous. Men are to pray and to watch. Now, if every mean is surrounded by perils, if the universes is alive with forces hostile to the soul, then watchfulness becomes one of the most critical of all the pastor’s responsibilities. To him precious lives are committed, lives for which he is to render an account.
    Watching, surveying, scanning the horizon, peering into the darkness of days not yet born, spying out the interior nature of focres which are working like insidious and poisonous leavens, calculating the advent of storms asleep as yet in teh caves of coming days- all this is pastoral work, work which, alas, is not always conscientiously performed.” -Charles Jefferson
    A PASTOR IS A WATCHMEN. HIS HOME IS A TOWER!

    III. Model of the Task

    Paul wanted to give them an example of how to keep the flock of God alert...
    Acts 20:31–32 ESV
    Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
    He said for them to remember- that is to actively and accurately process what happened to them in the past.… Paul had to intently engage them in these thoughts because their minds were not currently there. This is a very Shepherdly thing to do....
    Sadness could’ve easily taken them… Paul’s leaving, may never see him again, critical task given to us, for which will be really difficult. Paul grabs their minds out of the present sorrow and gives them something hopeful about God ministry thru the apostle Paul.
    Which he also stated in his address to the Ephesian pastor/elder
    Acts 20:18–20 ESV
    And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,
    Show Map
    For 3 years, Short recap on Paul’s 3rd missionary journey
    -leave Antioch (his sending church) after about a year with them.
    -goes thru Asia Minor strengthening and encouraging churches there
    -then spent 3 years in Ephesus.
    Acts 19 describes his lengthy time with them...
    Acts 19:8–10 ESV
    And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
    Some of the highlights
    -3 months preaching in synagogues before being run out
    -2 years in the lecture hall (school of) Tyrannus (his public ministry)
    -Massive missional work accomplished at Ephesus that spread throughout the whole region
    -Silversmith cause big riot over the teachings of Christ/his loss of profit (which Paul takes his leave afterwards (traveling to Corinth, Philippi, Troas- where Paul preached a super long message sending Eutychus of a 3 story balcony)- before finally meeting up with these elders in Miletus as Paul was on his way to Jerusalem.
    Paul’s life was characteristized frequently by harsh critizicm and difficulty yet that did not cause Paul to shrink from sharing with them the whole council of God’s Word.
    It didn’t matter what happened to Paul, he was going to proclaim truth and alert of danger.
    His actions also line up with the truth he taught, whereas false teachers speak primarily for their pocket books, true-godly preachers give of themselves readily.
    Acts 20:33–35 ESV
    I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
    Fewer pastors give themselves to the alerting of the flock to potential dangers… It’s a task that is often viewed by others as unfavorable.
    Mike Winger- on Todd White (being accused of being judgmental, divisive)
    This is the Biblical course of action for shepherds
    Titus 1:9–11 ESV
    He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.
    Illustration- CO2 alarm going off, rather than taking it seriously, I go back to bed… being alert means potentially having people upset with you when you call things out that is dangerous.
    Conclusion:
    Hebrews 13:17 ESV
    Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
    Do it with joy and not with groaning.
    When I think of other instututions that the Lord has ordained that are called to have submissive attitudes… a parent child relationship certainly comes to mind being that I have 6 kids. What is perhaps the think that can rob a parent of the joy of parenting. Of course, their own selfishness can do that, but another very obvious one is the obedience of their children.
    3 John 4 ESV
    I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
    We often use that to take about actual children’s obedience to the parents righteous instructions, but John wasn’t writing with parents in mind. He was writing with congregants in mind. His greatest joy was seeing them obey truth, and the opposite would be true as well. His greatest pain or lack of joy would be disobedient and rebellious members.
    It doesn’t just affect the pastor/shepherd, it also affects the sheep...
    no advantage to you
    Parents know this that when children listen to their parents, their is great reward even in the future and it’s true of the flock of God. If you don’t heed their warnings, it won’t just be no advantage, it will also be your life.…
    That alarm clock we talked about early.…when it is going off, how do you treat it?
    Are you careful to place it nearby so that you can hear it?
    Do you regularly check in to make sure it’s working. Are you vigilant to hear it’s voice. The sheep hear my voice...
    God gave us shepherds who are there to alert us… but even when they fail us… the Good Shepherd never will. His warnings we should heed all the more.

        • Isaiah 56:9–12ESV

        • Acts 20:25–35ESV

        • 1 Timothy 4:16ESV

        • 1 Timothy 4:7ESV

        • Hebrews 13:17ESV

        • John 10:27–29ESV

        • Psalm 121:1–8ESV

        • Luke 10:3ESV

        • Romans 16:17–18ESV

        • 2 Peter 2:3ESV

        • 1 Timothy 6:3–5ESV

        • Acts 20:31–32ESV

        • Acts 20:18–20ESV

        • Acts 19:8–10ESV

        • Acts 20:33–35ESV

        • Titus 1:9–11ESV

        • Hebrews 13:17ESV

        • 3 John 4ESV

        • His Eye Is on the Sparrow
        First Baptist Church
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        2319374809
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