Sunday Service

Hey man. Let me invite you to grab your Bibles along with me and turn to Hebrews chapter 13.

Hebrews chapter 13. If you don't have a Bible on you you can grab one out of the Pew Rack nearby. I'm certain there's one there. And if you could turn to Hebrews with us, it's toward the back of the Bible. You'll find it back in there and follow along with us. Hebrews chapter 13. We're going to go verses 17 to 19. And what I'm going to do is invite you to stand along with me for the reading of God's word before we go into prayer together.

Hebrews, 13:17 obey, your leaders and submit to them.

Because they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account, let them do this. Let those leaders do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be have no advantage to you, pray for us. For, we are sure that we have a clear conscience Desiring to act honorably in all things. I heard you the more earnestly to do this. In order that I may be restored to you. The sooner, this is the word, the Living God.

You can be seated father, we thank you for your word and we praise you for your son who we have something about this morning. And got we would ask now that you would take your word and drive it into our hearts and Minds by the spirit introduced change there in us. That we would be a people who are glad to hear your word preached and eager to obey it. And if there is a gladness and an eagerness than Lord, we give you all the glory for that is work. You will have had to do. So would you come and do that in your name? We pray. Amen. I don't need to tell you this but I will. Anyway, I did not write this text of scripture telling you to obey your leaders and I also I'm swimming Upstream in significant ways because of the fact that we human beings tend to appreciate autonomy and tend to not really enjoy Authority. And you know this if you have ever been within a hundred feet of a child, what they want, most in the world is autonomy and not to be under your Authority and they will demonstrate that repeatedly at every opportunity that they are given. And 45 year, olds are not that much different except for they don't cry and scream and yell quite Quite as much. And so, it is that in the midst of the, the culture in which we live about two thousand years ago. This pastor, this one, the one to the Hebrews is writing to them a sermon that he is going to call here. And verse 22, a word of exhortation, a brief word of exhortation, the sermon. And he is calling from a distance. You see this in person 19 cuz he's not there, he's actually asking the church to pray that he'll be able to come back, but he was most likely a pastor at Baptist Church. A leader at this church at one point and he is calling them to obey their, their leaders, to obey their their Elders, their pastors their overseers in The Human Condition is 12 buck against Authority into into desire autonomy. So he is writing it in a, in a, in a in into the same sinful human heart. As I'm preaching it today, it's not like back down there. Like oh, that's easy. That's great. I love you in that humans have never liked being under Authority and certainly they've never liked being called to obey and to submit to the god-given authority place in their life. And yet that is precisely what the Holy Spirit has inspired this creature to say. And so this preacher, this one Alex is going to preach that. Not because I wrote it but because it's the next thing in the text. What we do around here, if you don't know, is we just keep through books of the Bible, the verse at a time. So, whatever comes next. We just preach that. Whatever it is, just preach that and soap. That's where we are today. Verse 17 obey your leaders and submit to them. What you're going to see here is you actually have three, exhortations, three things were called to the first is obedience. The second is submission in the third is prayer. So I'm going to take those one at a time and then we'll go from there. So, the first thing that that this church, this person Church is called to do is to obey their leaders. That were leaders would be like Pastor Elder, you know, those placed in god-ordained authority over the congregation congregation is called to obey their leaders obedience. There, most likely most specifically to the teachers, to, to their teaching, to the, to their preaching, to their exposition of the scriptures. And I want you to remember back in verse 9, if you'll look up the page with me back to verse ninth wear wear it. Well, and I'm actually in verse 7, the preacher here to the Hebrews called the congregation to remember their leaders. Now, those weren't present leaders because you don't need to remember present leaders. What you need to do is remember leaders that were faithful in the past and that's what they were being called to. And then it seems as though those leaders have died. And now, they've been given new leaders and working in the congregation is called to obey these New leaders or newer pastors are new Elders. In that said, enlight of verse 9 about not being led Away by diverse and strange teachings. So you can see here that the church in that day. As in this one is surrounded by a myriad of diverse in strange in bad teaching and preaching. And the congregation is called to obey their leaders, specifically the teaching in the preaching of those leaders in light of teaching, that is bad and will lead them astray. And you need to understand that there is an objective way to measure teaching and preaching, that there is an objective way to measure. It's biblical, accuracy, it is very simple. I encourage you to do it all the time. You listen to what whoever it is is saying And it does not matter if they have a Bible open in front of them, though, I certainly prefer that. But but even if they do have a Bible open in front of him, it does not automatically mean that everything they're saying, it's from the Bible. So they have a Bible open in front of them. And you have a Bible open in front of you and they preach and you listen. And then you say yeah, that's there or no, that's not. And if it's not we have a problem and soap. So the whole point here is that you are to obey that the teaching of of the Pastors in the congregation that you belong. But it's not a blind obedience, it's not worth it. And I say this all the time but it's not wolf, Alex said it so it must be true. Like that is a horrible idea. It's not a good idea at all. You actually have to like really put working and golf what Alex said that but what does the book say? That's what you have to do. And that's a little more difficult to do, but that is what you must do. And so there are these strange and diverse teachings that the orbit around the church and are always trying to get into the church in the first century as in when this is being preached, read in the, in the hearing and in our day. And and let me just give you three examples of of that in our day and apply this obedience to your call due to that. But the first in in right at the top of the most dangerous diverse and strange teaching that is unbiblical. Today would be justification, which means righteousness by Jesus plus something else. Now, we just sang, a song called All sufficient, Merit in the whole point, was all of the Merit that you needs comes to you, from Jesus, not anything you've contributed, that's what the Bible teaches. But there's a bunch of spaces and places where it where people will say that. No, it's a Jesus plus you need to get baptized Jesus. You need to take communion Jesus. Plus you need to go to confessional Jesus. Plus you need to do these nieces, plus you need to do something else. Now, when they teeth that and I teach this, which is justification by faith alone, who are you going to believe your answer better? Not be will Alex will believe you? Because we like you, your answer needs to be will believe, whoever can demonstrate it from the Bible and once it has been demonstrated from the Bible that justification comes by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, and not by Jesus, plus your Merit, your effort. Your contribution has been once that happens. You you need to obey once it's demonstrated, you need to obey the clear teaching of the scripture in and not be led astray and let off by a strange teaching second dangerous teaching the Prosperity Gospel. I mention this often and I mentioned it often and that you'll see why here in a second. But I mentioned this often because this is right at the top of the pie. I love the most dangerous and yet also believable teachings that abound today. The Prosperity Gospel basically says that. Once you believe in Jesus, everything's going to go awesome. And if you have enough faith, you'll never be sick. You'll you'll Prosper financially. You'll do all that in the reason is so pervasive is because you don't need a new heart to love the Prosperity Gospel, you can be dead and trespasses and sins. And I absolutely love that message because everybody wants to be healthy and have money and everything else. So that's a very pervasive teaching now Should you believe that teaching versus what we teach here, which is a Biblical gospel? Because you like me more, no, no, you should believe what is taught here because we open the scriptures and teach it from the Bible. And they don't

The third that I see. So, today is just what I call cotton candy. I don't know what else to call it. This is like it's not necessarily Jesus plus something else and it's not necessarily A Prosperity Gospel, it's just stories and jokes in the Bible's open, but it's a water down cotton candy, sort of popcorn entertainment, sort of preaching and teaching in, in, in the prayer would be that is you walk out verse 17 and obey, your leaders that you would gather from listening to the word of God, preached that there is a seriousness. They ought to mark on the preaching of the scriptures and there is a, a Precision in an accuracy that must Mark the preaching of the scriptures. And while it is more entertaining for me to tell stories and jokes, that doesn't give New Life to anybody because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ preached.

So you called to obey your leaders in so far as what they preach is biblical. So if the Bible priests rightly demonstrates, Jesus Plus, or demonstrate the Prosperity, Gospel or demonstrate cotton candy, preaching to be Falls, then at that point, it's not who do I like more at that point is what does the book say? And that settles it that settles it. So your call to obey their teaching second your call to submit to their leadership, obey your leaders and submit to them. That that idea of submit there would be like 2 to submit to or to follow their lead. Now you need to know that submission comes up in the Bible, in a number of different places, and when it comes up, we were just talking about this Wednesday at red lights in our marriage class that when it comes up and in that context in the context of a of a wife submission to her husband and in every other area of submission, it's always as unto the Lord. So you're supposed to say why is it supposed to submit to their husbands as unto the Lord and children to parents, as unto the Lord, and citizens to government as unto the Lord. Church members to church leaders as unto the Lord. And what as unto the Lord means, is it in. So far is the thing that you are being called to follow. Is biblical you submit, but if it's not, you don't and in there's a ton in our day spread of social media, hard to hide like it once lately was easier to hide in the 80s, I guess, but but now there's all of these accusations and some of them are true and some of them are not about church, heard in church of you, send all those things in the point. Here is our preacher is not calling you members to a blind submission in following of of your leaders just because he's ordained. Well, he went to Seminary or well, he's Pastor so I should just follow him. Know, it's as unto the Lord which means you have to do the really hard work of knowing what the book says as unto the Lord. You can know whether or not your church leaders, or your parents, or your husband, or your governing authorities are leading in a Biblical Direction. And when they stray from that, then you must obey the Lord and not them.

As unto the Lord, and this is actually God's design, listen to Ephesians 4:11, he Jesus gave the apostles, the prophets, the Evangelist, the Shepherds. That would be like Pastor Elder Bishop leaders, and teachers to the church. In order to verse 12, to equip, the Saints for the work of Ministry. For building up, the body of Christ, it is God's design, there was in the context of the church. Jesus has entrusted among other offices pastors. Teachers Shepherds to the congregation to lead in the biblical way in that congregation is called to respond to that leadership with submission. So I want you to think about this that the family, right? The family unit, that's God's idea, and God's design. And within the Family Guy's idea, guys design that there's no structure for how things ought to work. Husbands are to take primary responsibility and spiritual leadership in their home for talking about this red light and wives are to submit and to use Gifts to help that, that husband flourish. And the two of them together to, to produce gospel fruit in their family church, God's idea what God's Design Within the family. There's a structure within the church, there's a structure within the church that the structure is biblically appointed qualified. Men who who made the qualification of elder or Pastor would be another way of saying Elder are given the responsibility to lead in to equip the Saints to do the work of the ministry. And then those members to follow the leads and submit to those Elders. Insofar as the elders are leading biblically submission. Must be biblical. Submission is biblical, but it also must be biblical if you're understanding that. So I'm a husband and a pastor. So we'll just leaned into the other one as a husband. What if I were to tell my wife, hey, don't read your Bible. What should she do disobey me in order to obey Jesus. What if I said to my wife, hey, I don't want you to give money to the church anymore. Disobey me obey Jesus. Hey, I don't want you to discipline our children anymore. Let's just ruin them. That'll be a great idea. This obey, me, obey, Jesus, What if your pastor says something unbiblical? Whatever the case, maybe disobey him obey Jesus. What's your responsibility in that? You better know what Jesus said. Like there's a lot of this is not an easy job necessarily being being a pastor. But your responsibility is is no less significant because if you get bamboozled by me or someone else, God forbid you didn't know the book very well. And that's not it's like I give my life to studying the Bible. So should you So, should you? And so we follow the lead of our God appointed leaders elders as unto the Lord. Why three reasons that are text to gives us for our first exhortation obey their teaching s exhortation submit to their leadership. Why? Three reasons here's the first one? Because 4 verse 17, they are keeping watch over your souls. Not at word keeping watch. First reason they are these leaders are watch, that's what that, that that Harkens back to the Old Testament. The idea here, literally rendered would be, they are sleep losers over. You, they lose sleep over you in the Old Testament, you had the idea of a Watchman, like Psalm 127:1. The Watchmen stays awake watching over the city. And the idea is, as you got a guy and he's sitting out on the fence out on the wall, and he doesn't sleep while everybody else leaves. And he sits up loses sleep, literally watching. The Horizon. The enemy.

Local church elders. Which is an officer Elder, doesn't mean old person. Elder means Pastor, you got to keep that in mind. I had a guy, tell me one time, you're too young to be an elder like as in past, or because he thought Elder and Elder it it, it can mean, older, but adult, it's an office. So I'm referring to it as an office, local church. Elders are on the wall, they sit out on the wall, in the middle of the night, and they watch for the enemy to come and you are to obey and to submit to them because that is a god-ordained task, they lose sleep watching over, is a Watchman on the wall. And they're watching for things, like the person strange teachings that that would want to come into the congregation and wreak havoc. Now, can I just tell you? I don't know. I don't know what you What you? Like, I say it like this, I guess.

It is way way funner to just a firm every book and resource that everybody's ever been excited about. Like, when I was in, I remember, I like Junior High Senior High, something like that. That book Prayer of Jabez came out, right? Just an awful book. I mean, just sold like pancakes, but just an awful book. And then, you know, after that, it was the shack. I mean, it like, it was like in vending machines and coffee shop so that you could get a coffee and a free copy of the shack and all the Christians, you know, and then, you know, Jesus calling right after that, and whatever else. The next one is Jesus Calling bat bad. Write anything. Rachel Hollis has written bad. Like there's all these, but there's so many good books. Like there's so many good books. And yet, you know what I have to do. Mostly I have to rain on your parade when you bought the shack in the vending machine and it's like God, save four times while reading it. I feel like I'm really glad that got use that in your life and it's packed Lee's I can possibly say, then tell you to throw it in the garbage. And it's like, that is not fun. I just want you to know, like, I don't enjoy That at all its way funner to be like you have read it. Jesus Calling excellent book. Yep. It's not but it's not. So I can't and then it gets awkward for you. And I and you go to another church because you're mad because you lied that love the book and I was like him and hot and that's not fun. And I don't enjoy it and it doesn't enjoy it. But it is, it is a requirement. Hey Alex, what do you think about this? Like I have 100, guys, I could recommend and you had to pick that one. He's awful. Don't listen to him. I'm not just saying it. Like, I'd listen to him, I listen to more bad preaching than I do good because there's a bunch of it on YouTube. So I just have to listen to it and find out. That's not enjoyable, that's not fun. I don't like doing that but is a Watchman who sits on the wall. You got to look and see what's coming over the horizon and I could recommend 104 answers to you and like 10 that are bad. Well there's probably more than 10. It's just I'm more familiar with with those 10. Are those books that aren't great? And I don't do that. I'm speaking about me hear, I don't do that because I enjoy it while you're reading, knowing god by Packer. Praise God. Excellent book. I will buy you another one, if you'd like a second copy, like there's so many opportunities for that when the book is good. But when it's bad, I can't read it. That is something that that I want you to know. I take that responsibility, we take that responsibility so seriously, but it is not an enjoyable part of our job. As most of, you know, I think we're planting a church in Amberg and we bought a building there. That was an old church and we're going through the church bookshelf. There, is that there is I think the book is called Power of Positive Thinking, which is like Like Blasphemous mysticism garbage on the bookshelf, like two books over is knowing god by Packer great book but it's like right next to those like I'm like somebody. Somebody some Pastor needs to walk by and go. The idea of manifesting positive things in your life. By the way, you think or what you say, pretty close to the Prosperity Gospel, right out of the pit of Hell. Somebody needs to throw that book away and no one did and it's like things like that. And I understand why, like, I totally understand why, because I guarantee you somebody brought that book in there, like, this book was so awesome. Been so helpful in my life and it's like, in the past was like, oh, okay. And he probably knew we should throw it away, but didn't and pretty soon, we're recommending that resource and I totally get it. But if you loved the congregation that the Lord has entrusted you to and you take seriously sitting up on the wall, you throw that stuff in the garbage and you have tactful loving conversations with people who are being led astray by diverse and strange teachings and you do it because you love them and you do it at Cost like significance. Actually cost to yourself but you do it anyway until you're called to a band to submit to your leaders because they are god-ordained Watchman on the wall.

Second. Because they're going to give an account. And so I have their the idea of Shepherd because that's really the ID. On the one hand, you have a Watchman sits on the wall, looking for the enemy to come on. The other hand, you have this presents do with the congregation as a shepherd, and he Keith is going to give an account for the cheap, right? To imagine yourself, I think Thomas Aquinas who use the analogy of the shepherd's out on the hillside. The night that Jesus was born is an analogy for pastoral Ministry. I think it's a press, but it definitely works. Because the whole idea is, is if you're given some sheep and given 30 of them and it's like, hey, Sun's going down, you know, take these sheep and keep them out on the hillside and, you know, and you wake up the next day and do all your sheep who's right? The shipper, doesn't own them, he's an undershepherd, he said they're not hit their kids but they're not that they belong to somebody else. But their history, understand that they are owned by someone else, but they ought to be loved by him. And when he wakes up in the morning and the dude comes as like, where's my seems? Like, I don't know, I fell asleep, he's an awful Shepherd. It's okay. Take seriously, the calling to be a Shepherd because he's going to give an account if he was given 30 there, better be thirty in the morning. There's not we have a problem. And so we walked among the Sheep Sleepless serious. To see all of them be there in the morning.

Why?

Because of these words from the Apostle, Peter among others, I exhort the elders, among you first, Peter 5:1. I exhort the elders among you as a fellow Elder. And a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory, that is going to be revealed. Shepherd. The flock of God that is among you. exercising oversight not under compulsion but willingly as God would have you not for shameful game but eagerly so here's what I understand and you must understand Remember this refrained, it kind of weaved his way through the book of Hebrews, it's the superiority of Jesus Christ and then along with that it's to continue to persevere. Don't leave him. Don't leave Jesus don't go back. One of the ways that God ordains the perseverance of his sheep is giving them faithful Shepherds.

In other words, it is the job of the undershepherd which I'll get to later to make sure that in the morning, there are still 30 sheep. There he's responsible for that store for wolf comes in and grabs a bunch of them. Guess who should have gone and killed the wolf him? If they try to wander off with still do sometime guess who goes after him? If they haven't shown up on a wild, guess who call him? Why? Because key in the unpleasant conversations in the, yeah, I don't recommend that book and that this is a difficult, but you got a fan in all of those conversations that Shepherd is mindful of the fact, they're not his Jesus has entrusted them to him. He's going to give an account someday or oversight as one who will give an account. He's going to give an account to the king of glory for what he did with the Sheep. So he's going to have some awkward conversations about that bad teaching, or that false doctrines for this terrible book or whatever else, the case, maybe he's going to make phone calls and more phone calls, and more phone calls and lose sleep. Not because he is trying to be a jerk, don't, he will be called that on occasion, but because of the fact that he cares to give all of the sheep to V Shepherd Sunday. In what you have to understand is that you're God's ordaining of your perseverance is tied to your obedience and submission to the god, appointed leaders. He's put in your life.

Third reason. Number one, there, watching the number to their Shepherds, who will give an account number three reason, joy and not groaning. You see that, right? As those who will give an account, let them let those Shepherds, let those pastors those Elders. Do this, do this, do this accounting and do this sleep losing and do this teaching, and do this leading. Let them do this with joy and not groaning. My time has escaped me, but let me at least point this out to you the joy and not groaning. We'll start with the groaning. You read from the early life of God's people Israel with their Elder, their overseer, Moses in what you have going on, is a fair amount of groaning, and sometimes it. And it's important that we know this, that both the leader and the follower are responsible to some degree for the grounding. So, from Moses's life sometimes, two people just do stuff complain, Bigger question is leadership, right? All these things, and it makes them grown. He's like But then sometimes he does dumb things that makes him go talk to it. And I have I wrote down. I was afraid this was going to happen. So I'm glad I eliminated it from my notes, but I wrote down all the times I have made myself go. You said that? You you did that you you you did you, you didn't show that compassion, you came across that way. You just

And then I have some time. For you've made me go.

And the point is, is that we both share a responsibility for the groaning. And I can throw a pity party with the best of them. I mean I just can think about quitting Go sell some insurance cut down trees, whatever the case maybe usually lasts about 20 seconds, then turn back on the horse, but I can do that. And sometimes you can make me do that and sometimes I can make you do that in the point is, is that in that go with we we you eat like, like I'm just preaching. This is just the good here. What the preacher saying is is the congregation Bears the responsibility to some degree with the way they interact with their leaders. So that the way they interact with our leaders produces Joy, you're not groaning.

And that's the other side of this joy and again, both leader and follower have the responsibility there.

I've gotten emails that made me want to quit and I've gotten emails that made me like Praise God. Like I can do this forever. Usually the right next to each other. I mean, I don't know if you remember, we had this couple years of strangeness has basically been erased from my memory with covid and and and I got I got an email Alex for leaving the church. You guys are taking this way too. Seriously, spam next email Alex. We're leaving the church. You guys are taking this near seriously enough and I'm like, you can't win if you just get in like this matter. It's just sometimes you just can't and you just know that going into it. But the point is, is that that there's that, the congregation that the members are to conduct themselves in a way that Fosters joy in the life of a leader. And in the life of the leader, I had to have this conversation with myself in this realization and awareness like I could within 30 in the same. 32nd Street, I think of something that would make me cry and want to quit and something else that would make me smile and have such an immense amount of joy and just want to do this forever like 30 seconds of each other. Because the Sorrows of leadership are so deep.

And yet the choy.

Like, the only thing that eclipse is the song roses to Joy, like the joy goes higher than the sorrow, but there's, there's some sorrow in there. There's joy and groaning. And I, we at leaders elders. Need to do our job to walk in operate, enjoy, but you is, to congregation need to be a joyful people to lead and you are, but I want to encourage you to continue to be that to continue. To be that joy and not groaning. Let me tell you where the Fountain of Joy comes from in the life of an elder. I read this earlier to you from 1st Peter 5, let me read it again. Only continue to read, I exhort the elders among you as a fellow Elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ is a, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed. Now, that's interesting little bit of Joy, be beginning to be produced there. There is a future Glory that is going to be revealed. When the exhortation from Peter to fellow pastors Shepherd, the flock of God that is among you exercising, oversight, not under compulsion. But willingly as God would have you not for shameful game, but eagerly not domineering over those in your charge. But as an example to the flock burst forth because when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading Crown of Glory.

There it is. I just need you to know that my ultimate Joy is not bound up in you. I need you to know that and I say that to you because what that's going to do is just free you because some of you are like 12:00, my marriage is struggling around struggling or what Alex said this thing that hurt me in which is going to happen. If an in it already has to some degree. I'm certain of it and some of you were like in hearing this exhortation, I shouldn't talk to Alex or any of the other is about that because I don't want to produce grown in that joint. Listen in the life of a Biblical. Elder their ultimate Joy is tied to the chief Shepherd who's going to show up someday. That's it. So, what that means is this weekend, ground together and cry together, and ask for one another's, forgiveness, and all those things that are required because my jaw is not ultimately tied to you. And I'm not really clear. That, that's not me dump in my chest. That's not a shot that that's supposed to free. You My joy is not tied to you and your joy can't be tied, to me, it has to be tied to Christ Our Tatian number 10 Bay number 2. Submit number three, pray, pray. You see December 18th. Pray for us for, we are sure that we have a clear conscience. What a beautiful gift it is to be a pastor with a clear conscience, and that's what this guy was. And that's what I want to be a pastor with a clear conscience. Look, pray. I got a clear conscience. My desire more than anything else has to act honorably before God and all things. And then verse 19, I heard you two more earnestly to do this to pray in order that I may be restored to you. The sooner, he was a pastor, that loves his people, like loves them. He's like, I want you to pray because I want to get back to you because I love you.

I feel that same affection for you. I want you to know that

It's interesting, some Trent, you know, pray for us at the ESV but other translations and in the Greek, it it would be like this continually pray for us, keep on praying for us. Don't ever, stop praying for us to something. You can pray for your leaders and then we're done wisdom, wisdom.

You don't know how many times I'm in a conversation with somebody in my office. When I say to myself, I don't know how I got here. Like, I'm not sure and I have no idea how we're going to get out of it. You know what? I needed that more like profound wisdom. Like like Lord help me and in so every counseling session for the most part that I've ever been and I'm trying to avoid clergy hyperbole here but like I just sit there and say in Lord I just help me Lord like I need wisdom. We need wisdom. Help us, we need wisdom, we need wisdom. Want to plan a church? We need wisdom. Want to race up leaders. We need wisdom. Want to give to missions. We need wisdom. Want to play more Church's. We need wisdom, we need wisdom, God help us, we need wisdom, wisdom number to protection. Like, you can pray that however you want, but I pray that the Lord would protect me from me and you from me, that's what, that's how I pray. You from the Elders of this church, protect the elders from themselves. Like certainly Satan is a roaring lion. I'm all over that that's for sure true but I don't even think I need his help to ruin it off like protection. Number 3, perseverance. The big one. Perseverance in the face is actually how I mean that. Like, I'm not above thinking that I couldn't ruin the whole thing. God help Alex, and the other Elders cuz that's what I pray for. You, is perseverance. I got to a lot of other things for you, but I'm like, God, hold them to the end perseverance.

Force. Priorities priorities.

I'm a son by faith.

I'm not Mark's Son by face. I'm God's son by faith. Mark is my dad. For those of you who don't know, I'm not his son by faith. I'm his son by birth.

And I'm God's son by a new birth but it's by faith and that's number one, and it better be number one. So you can pray specifically, God, help Alex to read his Bible and the other Elders to read their Bibles in a white-hot, affection stirring, devotional way, not to preach a sermon. Because that's easy. That's really easy. I was just talking to my friends about this earlier this week. He's like man, everytime, I read the Bible on preparing the sermon for somebody else. We talked, I lamented the fact with him. Yeah, that is super easy to do. I don't want to do that.

I'm a husband. To my wife, I'm a father and then I'm a pastor and it's in that order that you want to know something. There's a lot more glory and Shameless selfish gain and foolish ambition, and all sorts of bound up in one of those. And the first three, don't get you much Sizzle at all. And yet it is the first three that matter infinitely more than the fourth one.

For me to get to the end. I'll just say this.

Get to the end and have my wife or one of my children. I've never even had this thought, quite like this. That's why I couldn't hit me right now to say, Dad loved the church more than you love to be a Monumental bomber. There's a lot more glory in me for loving you weld. And there is my family. That's why families. Get so neglected in this line of work. You can pray for me and the other Elders here that we would love our families, Our God, our families, our wives our children, and then we would really love you too. Like we really want to love, but but it's got to be in that order. Got to be in that order. Okay, do things, when we're done now, listen before you're upset, I've been doing really well at preaching like 30-35 minutes lately. I know you've loved it, but you're getting your getting 45 today. So we're just we're back to Old Alex right now. I'll deal with the Fallout later. Alright, two things when we're done, first, you have to understand it like that. There's a, there's a sort of, the substrate underneath this text. I would argue, is a thing called local church membership. The first century Church of these Hebrews is probably like 20 people, so they are going to do membership in the same way that Redemption Hill. Well, because we're a lot bigger than that, but but there is a local church membership that sort of underneath this, meaning that, the elders need to know who their people are, and who is just kind of coming through. Look, we're delighted if you're not a member here, we're really thankful that you're here and have come. Anyway, we want you though to find a church. The teachers to buy both and become a member of that church because that's the level of accountability year call to in the New Testament, in the way we do that, he resort to membership processing. That's because the larger get the more formal, some of the, some of the, some of the movements within that thing need to be. And so we want you first of all, to become a membership of the member of the body of Christ, which means to repent, of your sins and place your faith in Jesus Christ. And then after that, we want you to become a member of redemption Hill, which means talk to Pastor, Brent and figure out how that works. Get baptized coming up here later this month, but get baptized and join God's church. That's really important. And then the second thing I would say, And this one is not in this text this is just this is just pastoral from me to you memberships, really important. Second one transparency and all I mean by that is I have never in my life I can say this, my conscience is clear Verse 18. With a clear conscience. I can tell you that I have never had one of you, come and talk to me in, in, in, in, in, in, in to myself. Have I ever said? I have never said this. I wish you hadn't told me that. Never happened. Never will. But what has happened, is, I've said a lot. I wish you would have told me about that five years ago. I wish we could have gotten after this marriage, 10 years ago, when it was still, where it was that instead of where I look will fight for your marriage, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years Downstream. But, but often times, I say to myself, I wish I would have known sooner. I wish you would have told me about that addiction sooner. I wish we could have talked through this sooner. I wish you would have told me that ten years ago, I said or did a stupid thing that hurt you, I would have loved to have asked for your forgiveness. I'm delighted to do it today but I would have loved to do it then transparency. It helps me sleep at night knowing what what are issues are not wondering what they could be. Do I have to entrust that to the Lord? Absolutely. But you can make that really easy on elders by just simply, not being transparent before the Lord, and before us and say we're struggling and we say, praise God, let us help you. That's what we're here to do, is help you. Father, we praise you for your word. We thank you for Jesus. We thank you for your structure that you have ordained for your church. We thank you. I thank you for the privilege. It is to be an elder, a l into Shepherd, such a wonderful Godly, Joy, giving people as as these are. That we would ask that you would ordain both our as leaders and their as church members perseverance to the end and that we would use to be used by you in one another's. Lives to that end. I pray that if there is someone here and I'm certain, this is true who dis who is not a member of the body of Christ, who has never bow, the knee to the chief Shepherd and confess their sins. Interested in him for salvation, that you would do that work. And then. I would ask that you would Elevate the seriousness among this body of local church membership. And God that you would Elevate the freedom, that the gospel understanding in the freedom of transparency that we could confess our struggles in our sins, in my Brokenness, to one another and find the help that we need to God for it. For those out here today, who are struggling and not sure where to go, get what you give them. The real freedom to know that you have appointed elders and leaders and Shepherd's pastures in their life to help walk through these challenges with them. And God that there is, there is nothing lacking in your sufficient Grace that cannot meet us in our great time of need and struggle. Even with sin, we thank you for that. In your name, in the church said,

Hey, baby. See you.

Hey, man. Let me invite you to grab your Bibles along with me and turn the Hebrews chapter 13, Hebrews chapter 13. If you don't have a Bible with you, we would just invite you to grab that one out of a few rack near by and follow along with us. If you don't own a Bible, just take that one home with you and we will replace it. Hebrews chapter 13, we're going to go verses 17 to 19 getting very, very near. Now, to the end of the sermon letter to the Hebrews, I'll invite you to stand with me. As we read God's word is a way of reminding ourselves of who it is. That we are dealing with your Hebrews, 13:17 obey your leaders. And submit to them because 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. Pray for us for. We are sure that we have a clear conscience, Desiring to act, honorably in all things. I heard you the more earnestly to do this. In order that I may be restored to you. The sooner, this is the word of the Living. God,

you may be seated. Father, would you help us now? To have ears to hear, and hearts that receive in mines that thinking. And God with you to a work in us that might produce a change. And father, is that work is to be done and that changes to be produced, you will have needed to do it. And we will give you all the glory for having done it. So help us now we pray in your name, amen. Perhaps, by way of introduction, I will tell you that I didn't write this text. Someone else did namely that the preacher who we don't know but it become well acquainted with now over 13 chapters and however, long many weeks, it's been in this sermon letter, this brief word of exhortation, which is what we hear about in verse 22 and is the preacher is kind of getting ready to set down the Mike as it were. He turns his attention to the obedience Of this congregation to its leaders. He says, obey your leaders and submit to them. No, you may not be overly aware of this, but we humans tend not to like Authority very much. We tend to prefer autonomy. I will be my own authority. I don't need you to be one for me and you see this most graphically if you've ever been within a hundred feet of a two-year-old because they demand their own autonomy in in resist your Authority and in 45 year olds have learned how to hide that, only slightly better. But, but still within the human condition. There is a I don't like to be under Authority, rather I want to be autonomous. And and then in steps this, this text that I didn't write but that says obey your leaders, this is in the context of a local church in the call hear is to obey your leaders obey your elders, obey your pastors obey, those who have been placed. I got over you in a Thora tea and submit to them and you don't like necessarily hearing that this morning but our preacher is preaching. This some two thousand years ago into the same sinful hearts, that wanted to be their own authority and wanted autonomy and he preaches it none, the less know it's important that we are aware of the fact that submission comes up in the Bible, a bunch of different ways in a bunch of different places. Just this last Wednesday at red light, we were talking about God's design for a husband and a wife, and a wife is called to submit to her husband and children are called to submit to their parents. And employees are called to submit to their employers and citizens are called to submit to their government. And so, you can resist the idea of being under Authority, all you want. It's just, we all are to some degree in one way or another, but it's important, That we understand that biblical submission is always as unto the Lord, It's always as unto the Lord. And that's really, really important because our Biblical submission in our, in our Obedience of our leaders is as unto the Lord, which is to say as an offering of obedience to the Lord. That what we're going to get more into that idea. But I want you aware of it from the very beginning, know where we're going to see is we're going to see that we are called by the, by the preacher 223, exhortations 223 instructions. The versus obedience to L the S is submission to them in the third is continual prayer for them. Three, exhortations, 3 instructions. The first one obedience to our leaders to the second submission to them and the third prayer for them. The first is, is obey. We are called to obey They're teaching, but basically obey your leaders in in in that obedience differentiates itself from submission because obedience is geared out there teaching and their preaching. Now you'll remember back to verse 7, where the preacher reminded the congregation to always be remembering their leaders. Now, these leaders were past leaders, they had probably died been moved along, but most likely they had died. And, and the idea there was remember them and be thankful for them. And then, and then you keep reading. Jesus never changes. And then first nine, don't be, don't be led Away by deverson strange, teachings. And I think verse 9 connects itself down to 17 with the idea that these local church elders and pastors. That the congregation is now entrusted to our to preach the Bible. And they are to be obeyed in so far as they teach the Bible. Obey their teaching, but the point is, is you don't obey their teaching because you like them or because you like, they're teaching you obey their teaching, you obey them because they show you what the Bible says in preach the Bible. And that is what differentiates, a faithful Pastor, a faithful creature from a false preacher that they both preach and God, help them. Most of the time, they both have a Bible open but one of them preachers. What the book actually says? And the other one preaches, whatever they want to say in the name of the Bible being open and it's really really important that you understand that and light of these diverse in strange teachings obey your leaders. Now there's at least three strange false teachings that you'll run into at least three strange false teachings that I kind of habitually warned us about out of care for us the first justification, not by faith alone, but justify Patient by Jesus plus something else. Just as a justification means righteousness in the Bible teaches that righteousness comes by faith alone in Christ alone, that's it. You just, it's just him, Jesus alone. But there have been false teachers throughout the ages of the church in all over. In our present-day, that teach. No righteousness comes by Jesus, and you need to get baptized Jesus, and you need to take communion Jesus, and you need to go to confessional Jesus and you need to be a good person. You need to add to the Merritt and we sang at all. Sufficient Merit, they say partially sufficient Merit, and you make it all sufficient by your contributions, that is false teachings. But it's not false because I said it was like, well, that guy teaches that justification comes by by Jesus plus baptism of Jesus. Plus my own merits and Pastor Alex teaches that justification comes by, you know, Just Jesus and well I like Alex more because I don't like that guy. So I'll believe, Alex know we are to obey our leaders, you are called to obey your leaders because your leaders preach, what the book sets, not because you like them. Because you liked their teachings about because they're faithful to the book is it goes along the same way with the Prosperity Gospel, right? Prosperity Gospel, believe in Jesus. Everything's going to go awesome for you. You can preach that if if you want to hear just a false teacher when you do but I don't want you going or false that the Prosperity Gospel is wrong because Alex said it is I want you going to Prosperity. Gospel is wrong because it's not in the Bible because because Paul says it all those who desire to live a righteous life we're going to suffer and that you don't need a new heart to want to be healthy and Wealthy. That's why the Prosperity Gospel sells like pancakes. Because you knew everybody wants to be healthy and Wealthy just we'll just know. Do it in Jesus's name? And you need to know that that's false teachings and you need Obey and follow good biblical, preaching, and teaching. But it's not a popularity contest. I tell you why that's so important because the Prosperity Gospel boys and the justification by Jesus plus something else boys and the cotton candy boys that, you know, don't really take them. Like they're really like really entertaining. Like I like listening to them, to, you know, I remember, we were my first church, when I was in in, I was in and turned it into this little tiny, little Baptist church, and we were getting together with a group of local pastors. And the question came, like, so many guys doing for Easter, like, I'm just in the room, like, I don't know anything. So I'm just in the room not talking and it kind of goes around for Easter, you know, big big, big day in the calendar year. It's so my pass was like well, we're going to like, you know, Probably teach the Bible. You no, like talk about Jesus and it's like going around the roof and then we get to the end. In the, there's nothing wrong with being the big church in town to be clear. But there is something wrong when you're this big church in town. The big church in town boy. So we actually rented the Batmobile. And so we're going to drive the Batmobile up on stage until like that was their plan. And I just remember going, I would go to that one. I go to write like my pastors going to open the Bible and tell us that Jesus was raised from the dead and they got the Batmobile that's hard to get hard to compete with. And so, the whole point is, is it can't be rooted in a popularity contest because the Batmobile probably wins the next year, he wrote a Harley in like, so you can don't like that draws a crowd, right? And I mean, he doesn't even necessarily mean that the Batmobile makes his preaching wrong, but then you listen to his preaching, like that's not great preaching. But again, it's not a popularity contest. It's not what I ft. How it, how you feel about, it preaching can be measured teaching, can be measured very Actively. What did he just say? What does the book say? That's a butt and I need you to know I need you to know that it is my responsibility and I take it very seriously to preach the Bible faithfully and accurately and rightly cuz I'm going to get an account for it someday, but you have a ton of responsibility in this. Think, you know why? Because if I say something that's not true, guess who's got to catch it, you Normally false teachers aren't like hey by the way everything I'm about to say is false and will lead you to hell. So just be aware of that and then they go on to say it. No false teachers, know how to use the Trojan Horse that the Trojan Horse of Truth. When you try to say horse in true that the same time it comes out as horse, in case you were wondering. So you take horse Trojan Horse, put truth in it, but it's false little truth in there. And then you slip in the dangerous, false gospel, that leads people to help. And then there's ever like, hey, by the way, I'm trying to do this to you, they just do it. That's why you got to be in the Bible, every day for yourself, having your mind, renewed by the scriptures and listening to faithful preaching and teaching so that you can tell the counterfeit That's on you to do. Like, that's really really on you to do so obey, insofar as if the Bible is being preached, right lately and properly. And it demonstrates those strange and diverse teachings to be false men. Leave the strange, and diverse teachings, and anchor yourself to the Bible obey, your leaders, number one, and two and submit to them submit would be like follow the lead of them. So, not only do a bather teaching, but you also follow their lead and again as unto the Lord, why? Because this is God's design for you. Here's a fusion for 11 Jesus, gave the apostles The prophets, the evangelists the Shepherds and teachers, otherwise known as pastors Elders overseers. That's what we get that language from. To the church, in order to equip the Saints for the work of the ministry. For building up, the body of Christ, it is God's design to have biblically a point. Elders to meet biblical qualifications and to preach the Bible and lead. The congregation ever increasingly toward Jesus and insofar as they are preaching, the Bible obey them and insofar as they are leading toward Christ submit to them as unto the Lord. Why? Because it's God's design and it's God's idea nothing about this for a second, right? Family. The family is God's design and God's idea and within the family, got assigned roles to a husband and a wife and two children and he gives separate roles to all of them to the Harmony works itself out. And so you just need to read what the Bible says, about what your role is, if your husband and then do it, if your wife then do it, if you're a child and then do it. Because that's how God designed the family to work in harmony. He does the exact same thing with the church. It's God's idea. It's God's design. And I say all that to say that did in the context, will use the context of the family for a second in the context of the family and also in the church. But in the family submission, not only is biblical, but it must be biblical. Listen to me very carefully. Submission must be biblical. So, I'm a pastor and I'm a husband will lean into the husband side of things for a second. So I'm a husband and I say to my wife Melissa, don't read your Bible. What should she do? Read a Bible, which is to say not submit to me, disobey me and Obey Jesus. Hey babe stop giving money to the church, what should she do? Disobey me and Obey Jesus hey don't discipline our kids. Let's just ruin them disciplines difficult, let's just let him do whatever they want disobey me obey. Jesus. In other words, submission is biblical, but but but to submit to someone who tells you to obey the king of glory is sin. Submission is biblical by submission. Must be biblical in the church and has a Bible and tells you things that aren't biblical. What should you do? Well, any number of things, let you know talk to him. If he doesn't repent, leave the church. Stop listening to him because submission is biblical, but it also must be biblical. So, exhortation number one, obey your leaders teaching exhortation number to submit to their leadership as unto the Lord and then you're given three reasons for why you should obey and submit. The first comes in 417 obey your leaders and submitted them for because they are keeping watch over your soul. The first reason to obey into cement is because these are God's appointed Watchmen. They are God's appointed Watchmen. The Watchmen there, I'm literally means sleep loser. These men are called of God's to lose sleep, over that the care in the OverWatch that they are called to provide for the congregation in the oh, Estimate. You had the idea of a Watchman and that's exactly the idea here. And what the Watchman would do is everybody else in town would go to sleep in the Watchman was passed. Very simply get up on the wall, don't fall asleep, keep your eyes on the horizon, the enemy's coming. That's what the Watchmen did until they literally would lose sleep as a Watchman because they were called to protect those within the city Gates and so it is that a local church Elder now again, Elder there is not an age thing. I told me what time you like this was when I first came here too young to be an elder so that's yeah, bro. But Elders not an age so it's not only sometimes it is but but I told her office not El Dorado, local church Elder I don't mean a local church old guy I mean a local church, biblically qualified Elder which is an office, not an age, it's important. You understand that? Okay so these these local church Elders are are to be on Wall in the middle of the night watching for the enemy, that's their jobs. And so in the context, the enemy, you know, in the Old Testament, like it's the ammonites or whoever it would be, but not, but in this context of an elder, it's it's these diverse and strange teachings that mean to come into the congregation and it's the elders job as a Watchman to be on guard for these things.