Remember your Leaders
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Hebrews 13:1-17
Pray
Read Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
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1. Because God sent Jesus to Redeem us through His sacrifice, run the race of faith.
Throw off the sin that entangles us and run the race fixing our eyes on Jesus the perfecter of our faith.
We are the joy set before Him.
So consider what He has done for you as you stand in His authority.
Jump down to Hebrews 12:25-29
See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
He came to us proclaiming Salvation in His person but also in His Word.
Now is the time to turn from sin.
Now is the time to accept His gift of eternal life.
Now is the time Because there is a shaking coming.
There is a shaking coming.
“Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”
After this shaking, only the unshakable Kingdom of God will remain.
This leads us into chapter 13.
Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.
Because of what we just talked about.
Because He came down from heaven to perfect our Salvation upon the cross.
Because through Him we have the authority to stand against sin, temptation and temptation.
Because Yet “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”
And all the created things that have been perverted due to sin will be destroyed.
Because we are the inheritors of an unshakable Kingdom.
Let love of the brethren continue.
Let the love that we have for one another as the people of God continue.
Let the love of Jesus , our Savior and King continue.
Let us be a true, honest witness of His mercy.
Because of all of these things, let us be the people of our great King.
These verses give me goose bumps when I read them.
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
In these verses the writer gives us a synopsis of good Christian character.
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2. We should be hospitable, good stewards of the blessings given by God.
We should remember, pray for and minister to those in prison.
We should be in prayer for those physically in prison.
Praying that the situation they currently face causes the Light of Salvation to dawn upon their hearts.
But we should also be in prayer for those who are in spiritual prison.
Enslaved to the sin nature.
Praying that the mercy of the Lord will liberate them from their self-imposed cell.
V. 4
The writer talks about sexual immorality.
Click #3 and #4
3. The word used for sexually immoral is the Greek word pornos.
4. This term is applied to a variety of sexual perversion.
It is a term that implies all sexual immorality outside of the standards found in God’s Holy Word.
There are some who suggest that Jesus never talked about particular lifestyles in the N.T.
Jesus did address sexual immorality.
The term He used is the same we just talked about.
He therefore addressed all immorality outside of the Biblical standard.
The author then goes on to address greed.
Suggesting rather than trusting in the fleeting things of this world, rather trust in the eternal, enduring, unchanging truth of God.
Because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
The Lord is our Helper.
Do not be afraid.
This brings us to the focus of the message today.
V. 7-8
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
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5. Remember your leaders.
Today is the day in which we consecrate our leadership here at MZR for this upcoming year.
This is why I chose these verses to speak on today.
Remember our leaders.
3648 μνημονεύω (mnēmoneuō): vb.; ≡ DBLHebr 2349; Str 3421; TDNT 4.682—1. LN 29.7 remember (1Th 2:9); 2. LN 29.8 keep thinking about, recall again and again (Jn 16:21; Heb 11:15); 3. LN 29.16 remember and respond (Gal 2:10; Rev 18:5); 4. LN 29.18 remember and mention (1Th 1:3)
Keep thinking about.
Recall again and again.
Remember and respond.
One thing to remember.
It is another thing to respond on the memory.
Respond in prayer.
Respond in thanks.
Respond in service.
Be willing to help.
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6. The leadership of the church is not meant to carry the full load.
There are times when leaders can be discouraged because it is difficult to get help.
7. So be willing to help.
Be willing to support and serve where needed.
The church is not just a place of fellowship.
Although we are blessed to be able to spend time together.
The church is not a social club.
I don’t think anyone has that mentality here.
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8. The church is a vital organization that brings Truth, Light and Life to this world.
Repeat last statement.
That is what the church does.
I want each of us to consider the incredible importance of the task that God has set before us.
We are called to be His church.
He ambassadors representing His authority.
We should not see service to the church or to one another as a burden.
We should see service to the church as a blessed opportunity to say Yes to God.
We should respond to God in obedience not out of obligation, guilt or pressure from others.
We should respond to God because He asks us to be His laborers in His field.
So be willing to help.
Be willing to support those in leadership.
Do our best, not neccessarily for MZR but for God Himself.
Read verse 7 again.
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Second half of this verse states to consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Two thing I want to talk about concerning this verse.
One:
Consider the outcome of their way of life.
Consider what God has done in the life of the leadership to equip them to serve.
Not only should we consider what God has done in their life, we are also to imitate their faith.
#9
9. Those who are willing to step out and serve demonstrate trust in God that He will equip them to meet the challenges of the calling.
That is a blessing of God.
He will equip those who are willing.
We are to look to leadership as examples of our response to trusting God.
What are they exhibiting to help me draw closer to God?
Second,
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10. Leaders should also consider their own way of life.
As leaders we need to remember that we are examples to others.
Other people will be looking to us for direction.
Encouragement.
Leaders should examine themselves seeking the Lord for correction, discernment and strength.
The focus of our spiritual growth for all of us should be upon Jesus, our Savior as it states in verse 8.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
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11. If we fix our eyes on Him, we will be focused upon a firm foundation.
He is unchanging.
We are all to look to Jesus as our example of right conduct as His disciples.
Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so.
First aspect of this verse warns leadership to not be carried away by strange teachings.
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12. Leaders in the church must seek God for discernment as we dwell in the age of deception.
There will be all sorts of things thrown at us by the enemy to attempt to cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus.
Remember the verse just before this one.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Any sort of doctrine that contradicts, corrupts or alters the immutable Word of God is to be rejected immediately.
Leaders must be on guard for themselves but also for the church.
Leaders are the example.
What they allow into the camp will inevitably corrupt the camp.
Our hearts should be strengthened by grace.
The word in the Greek implies that we are to cling to grace as it increases the firmness of our character.
Cling to the grace of God because it is His grace in Jesus Christ that has saved us.
It is grace that has the power to equip us to overcome.
We cannot add anything to His grace nor can we take anything away.
Salvation is completed in His grace.
The later part of verse 9 speaks about ceremonial foods.
Unfortunately, many people were and are deceived into believing that the traditions they keep serve as the work of salvation.
The writer of Hebrews is addressing this false belief that our works can make us righteous.
Works are good.
But they do not make us holy.
Our work helps us to remember and serve God and His church, but they do not bring salvation.
We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat. The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp.
The writer is continuing to address the false belief in works based salvation.
the writer addresses those who minister in the tabernacle.
The priests of that time.
They place their confidence in tradition over the revelation of grace though Jesus.
Those who claim Jesus as their Savior have an altar that is greater.
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13. We have a High Priest who has overcome.
And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
Jesus suffered outside the camp.
He was crucified on Galgatha, the place of the skull.
He was not crucified inside of the Temple where only the priests would be able to see.
He was crucified high upon a hill for all the world to see.
Salvation is not for a select few.
Salvation is for the whosoever that has eyes to see the King of Salvation.
Let us then look to Him.
Let us bear His disgrace.
Meaning, accepting the One who was rejected and hung on the cross as a sign of humiliation.
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
Goes back to the encouragement to support our leadership.
They have been called to direct the work of the church.
Be mindful of what we do as a church.
Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden.
This is the right attitude to have as we work together for the glory of God.
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14. We should serve, help and encourage one another because in doing so we are honoring God in our lives.
It is your attitude in your service that makes the work of the church a joy or a burden.
The service we involve ourselves in should be a joy not a burden.
If it is a burden then the service is of no benefit to anyone.
Benediction: Hebrews 13:20-21
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.